Among the most frequently deployed weapons in Israel’s hasbara arsenal is the so-called “human shields” ruse. 

For decades now, Israel has systematically used this propaganda device as a trick to justify war crimes, to shift the blame for its crimes to others, to overcome the principle of distinction in humanitarian law, to dehumanize Palestinian victims, and to arm its Western proxies and complicit media companies with ammunition to protect Israeli impunity. 

But a chain of international investigations reveals two clear conclusions about these charges: First, Palestinian armed groups generally do not use human shields. And, secondly, Israel does.