The US gathered intelligence last year of Israeli officials discussing how their soldiers had sent Palestinians into Gaza tunnels the Israelis believed were potentially lined with explosives, according to two former US officials familiar with the matter.
The information was shared with the White House and analysed by the intelligence community in the final weeks of former President Joe Biden’s administration, the officials said.
International law prohibits the use of civilians as shields during military activity.
Officials inside the Biden administration had long raised concerns about news reports that indicated Israeli soldiers were using Palestinians to potentially protect themselves in Gaza.
Washington’s collection of its own evidence on the subject has not been previously reported.
The US intelligence gathered in the final months of 2024 raised questions inside the White House and the intelligence community about how widely the tactic was being used and whether Israel’s soldiers were acting on guidance issued by military leaders, the US officials said.
The officials did not provide details on whether the Palestinians referenced in the intelligence were prisoners or civilians.
The intelligence about the IDF’s use of civilians as human shields was one of several pieces that circulated inside the government during the administration’s late stages.
It came as the intelligence community was increasingly analysing new streams of information that revealed internal Israeli deliberations about its military conduct in Gaza.
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