'Terrorist grabbed a small boy and escaped'

The IDF spokesman’s office publishes a video of Lt. Adam Landau, Operations Officer for the 188th Armored Brigade, recounting his experience fighting in Shejaiya in the Gaza Strip during Operation Protective Edge.

He speaks at some length about the challenge of targeting terrorists who use civilian infrastructure as cover, and relates one incident in which his battalion was searching for a terrorist in a specific house. “Suddenly a small boy appeared,” he said, “the terrorist grabbed him and escaped with him.”

“Just because a terrorist enters into a civilian area, it does not give him immunity. On the other hand, we have to think very carefully before we act because no one wants to injure innocent civilians.”