Iran: Strait of Hormuz will not open unless the US changes its behavior
New images documented the final moments of Palestinian elderly men Nadi Abdul Latif Ma’ruf and Ali Muhammad Ma’ruf, before they were martyred at the hands of occupation forces in Beit Lahiya, north of the Gaza Strip. The images show the two men in the period preceding their killing, as calls continue to document the violations committed against Palestinian civilians during the war on the Gaza Strip. According to circulating testimonies, occupation forces arrested the elderly men from western Beit Lahiya and detained them for several days under the guard of soldiers, before releasing them at the Twin Roundabout. After allowing them to walk a short distance, they were shot and summarily executed. Testimonies indicate that occupation forces used the two men as human shields during their military operations, forcing them to advance ahead of soldiers and vehicles and to enter buildings first, out of fear of explosives or ambushes, so that their bodies would face the danger instead of the soldiers. This incident comes amid an increasing number of testimonies and images describing the use of Palestinian civilians, including the elderly and the wounded, as human shields during military operations in the Gaza Strip, by forcing them to enter homes, buildings, and open areas before military forces and vehicles. The circulating images have sparked shock and anger on social media platforms, with activists viewing them as revealing an aspect of the violations suffered by civilians in Gaza and shedding light on practices they say exceed the basic rules for protecting civilians during wars. Circulating testimonies also indicated that civilians were forced to advance toward open areas despite being injured or exhausted, with activists describing these practices as a blatant violation of human dignity and international humanitarian law. The case of Nadi and Ali Ma’ruf brings to the forefront the issue of the use of Palestinian civilians as human shields, along with accusations against occupation forces of endangering civilian lives during their military operations in the Gaza Strip.
