Investigation reveals details of killing of elderly Palestinian couple used as human shields

A Euro-Med Human Rights Monitor investigation has revealed more details regarding the killing of an elderly Palestinian couple. The couple was forced by Israeli forces to wear explosives and act as human shields during a military incursion in the Zeytoun neighborhood of Gaza City in May 2023. This incident underscores the grave human rights concerns in the region.

Previously, the Israeli news website HaMakom reported that Israeli forces had tied explosives around the neck of an elderly Palestinian man and used him as a human shield, before killing him and his wife. The report indicated that the elderly man, who used a cane, was forced to conduct reconnaissance in nearby buildings to ensure safety, a process that lasted approximately eight hours. The use of human shields is a violation of international law.

An Israeli soldier told HaMakom that after the explosives were placed around the Palestinian man's neck, he was told "if he did something wrong, or didn't do what we wanted, the person behind him would pull the rope, and his head would be separated from his body." While the initial report did not specify the victims' names, ages, and the date, location, and circumstances of their deaths, this information aligns with the findings of the Euro-Med Human Rights Monitor investigation. Such details are crucial for accountability.

The Euro-Med Human Rights Monitor identified the couple as 70-year-old Mohammed Fahmi Abu Hussein and 65-year-old Mazyona Hassan Fares Abu Hussein. While HaMakom quoted Israeli soldiers as saying that the couple was shot dead by another battalion as they were instructed to flee to the Mawasi "safe zone," the Euro-Med Human Rights Monitor's investigation suggests they were killed by the detonation of the explosives. The conflicting accounts highlight the need for an independent inquiry.

According to the investigation, Mazyona's body was "blown to pieces," while Mohammed's right side of the body was completely deformed, and he lost a leg. The couple's son, Ahmed, told the Euro-Med Human Rights Monitor that he found pieces of his father's body at Al-Ahil Hospital and "shreds" of his mother's body on Salah al-Din Road, east of Gaza, "as if she had been killed by detonated explosives." Hussein said his father could only be identified by the tattoo on his hand, while his mother's body was "completely destroyed," and he could only identify her by the remaining gold teeth in her jaw. He also added that his parents were carrying a bag full of cash and gold, which went missing after they were killed.

Hussein said: "We were shocked that the Israeli army admitted and subsequently announced that they had used my father as a human shield and then brutally killed him and my mother. After losing contact for several days, we hoped they were still alive, but later learned that they had been brutally killed in a way we could not have predicted." The family now seeks justice and accountability for the horrific act perpetrated against their parents.