Hamas’s human-shield strategy surfaced in new report

Hamas’s exploitation of the civilian population in Gaza as human shields has been uncovered in new research done by the Henry Jackson Society, a think tank that recently released a study, “Questionable Counting”, which examines how Hamas inflates casualty numbers in Gaza.

The report, co-written by Major (ret) Andrew Fox with Salo Aizenberg, takes a forensic look at how Hamas has transformed the Gaza Strip into a human shield. Though many around the world view the destruction in Gaza as Israel’s “revenge” for the atrocities of 7 October 2023, the report clarifies that the casualty numbers are due to Hamas’s strategy. To effectively understand what happens above ground in Gaza and the casualty numbers, it’s imperative to understand this strategy.

Hamas is aware that the world responds emotionally to visuals of destruction and casualties, and it has planned its propaganda strategy effectively, according to the report. It reveals in gory detail how Hamas intentionally rigged civilian infrastructure with weapons, tunnels, explosives, and fighters, “fully aware that every dead civilian would constitute a propaganda victory”.

The report, released last week, draws on “extensive evidence from international media, military assessments, legal frameworks, and first-hand accounts” how Hamas embedded its military operations within civilian infrastructure, “weaponising Gaza’s population and urban landscape”.

Some of the key findings include the fact that since 7 October 2023, the United Nations (UN) has issued 367 reports filed under the subject of “Gaza Strip”. A search of these reports reveals that the UN has rarely acknowledged the use by Hamas of “human shields”. The phenomenon of human shields has been mentioned only four times, in each case in only a single sentence, as either an “allegation”, an Israeli “claim”, or an unverified “report”.

The report exposes how the UN hasn’t dedicated a single paragraph, let alone an entire report, to analysing how Hamas has fought the war in Gaza.

Instead, it has issued at least 10 reports critical of Israel’s conduct in Gaza. These include accusations of “indiscriminate attacks” to illegal “attacks on hospitals”. A November 2024 investigative report by the UN Human Rights Council accused Israel of committing genocide, but the document makes no mention of Hamas’s fighting tactics, let alone providing analysis.

Similarly, non-governmental organisations Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch released reports in December 2024, each accusing Israel of genocide in Gaza. These reports also omit any information about Hamas’s use of civilians as human shields, in fact there’s little mention of the terror organisation at all.

This isn’t a new strategy by Hamas, but it’s very effective, the report says. Hamas’s use of human shields is well documented from previous conflagrations, including 2014’s Operation Protective Edge, when journalists went on the record after they had left Gaza to share how Hamas had fired rockets extremely close to where they were filming, and threatened them if they exposed it.

The report also takes an in-depth look at the role the media plays in largely ignoring any Israeli casualties.

Members of the foreign press have been taken into Gaza on several occasions with the Israel Defense Forces (IDF), which has shown them the tunnel system and how civilian infrastructure like hospitals, schools, mosques, and private homes have tunnels underneath them or are used as armouries for Hamas.

But Fox said the mainstream media had largely ignored the reality of the fight. “More than 400 Israeli soldiers have been killed, and more than 2 500 wounded. Hamas itself has published more than 300 videos of combat with the IDF. It has been an industrial-scale war concealed beneath the rubble. Yet, to listen to most news coverage, one would think that the IDF was bombing empty cities, not fighting a fanatical army hidden under civilian homes.”

The consequence of not reporting the full facts about Hamas’s use of human shields is having a direct effect on Jewish communities, which are bearing the brunt of the anger of those fooled by the propaganda, he said. Negating Hamas’s human-shield strategy also gaslights the suffering of Palestinian civilians.

The report is meticulously researched and referenced, and an imperative for anyone sincerely interested in peace between Israel and the Palestinians.