US intel revealed Israeli officials discussing use of human shields in Gaza, sources say

The US gathered intelligence last year of Israeli officials discussing how their soldiers had sent Palestinians into Gaza tunnels they believed were potentially lined with explosives, two former US officials familiar with the matter told Reuters.

The information was shared with the White House and analyzed by the intelligence community in the final weeks of former US President Joe Biden’s administration, the officials said.

International law prohibits the use of civilians as shields during military activity. Israel has long accused Hamas of using human shields as a strategy by operating in plainclothes from heavily populated areas and buildings such as schools, mosques, and hospitals. Media reports have indicated that the terror group has used civilians as human shields, though Hamas has denied those accusations.

The officials, who spoke to Reuters on the condition of anonymity to discuss sensitive national security information, did not provide details on whether the Palestinians referenced in the intelligence were prisoners or civilians.

In a statement, the Israel Defense Forces said it “prohibits the use of civilians as human shields or coercing them in any way to participate in military operations.” The Military Police Criminal Investigation Division is investigating “suspicions involving Palestinians in military missions,” the statement said.

The Israeli government did not answer questions about whether it discussed the intelligence with the US. Reuters could not determine whether the Biden administration discussed the intelligence with the Israeli government.

Former Biden White House officials did not respond to requests for comment. The CIA did not respond to a request for comment.

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 IDF soldiers were acting on guidance issued by military leaders, the US officials said.

The intelligence about the IDF’s use of civilians as human shields was one of several pieces that circulated inside the government during the Biden administration’s late stages. It came as the intelligence community was increasingly analyzing new streams of information that revealed internal Israeli deliberations about its military conduct in Gaza.

Some former US officials said the broad set of intelligence received late in the Biden administration described only individual incidents in Gaza and did not represent overarching Israeli practice or policy.

Reuters reported last week that around that time, the Biden administration had also gathered intelligence that Israeli lawyers warned there was evidence that could support war crimes charges against Israel for its military campaign in Gaza.

The Israeli government did not respond to requests for comment about that story. A ceasefire has been in effect in the territory since October 10.

The former US officials said the new intelligence from inside Israel raised serious concern among top officials who believed the information supported allegations from some inside the US government that Israel was committing war crimes.

If Israel were found guilty of war crimes, the US could be held liable for providing weapons to the IDF. It would also likely force the US to stop sharing intelligence with Israel.

Lawyers from across several US agencies determined in the final weeks of the Biden administration, however, that the evidence did not show that Israel had committed war crimes and that the US could continue supporting Israel with weapons and intelligence.