‘Breaking Ranks’ Documentary Reveals Israeli Soldiers Used Palestinians as Human Shields

The British documentary “Breaking Ranks: Inside Israel’s War,” aired on ITV, features testimonies from Israeli soldiers who took part in the recent assault on Gaza. The soldiers describe targeting unarmed civilians and widespread home demolitions that left large parts of Gaza devastated. The film also highlights orders given to soldiers to disregard international law and to use civilians—including children—as human shields, a practice reportedly referred to in Israel as the “Mosquito Protocol.” This involves forcing Palestinian civilians detained during the war into potentially booby-trapped areas, such as tunnels, in direct violation of international law.

This article examines the testimonies of Israeli soldiers featured in the documentary and the Israeli military’s counterclaims, as reported by local media. It also revisits earlier allegations, based on soldiers’ accounts, that the Israeli army used Palestinians as human shields—claims the military has consistently denied.

Human Shields: Israel’s Denials vs. Documented Practices

On December 14, 2023, CNN reported a statement from Israeli military spokesperson Keren Hajioff, who said, “As an army committed to international law and ethical codes of conduct, we dedicate significant resources to minimizing harm to civilians whom Hamas forces to act as human shields. Our war is against Hamas, not the people of Gaza.”

Hajioff’s statement reflects one of Israel’s key claims throughout the recent assault on Gaza. At the same time, Israel has repeatedly accused Hamas of using civilians as human shields, blaming the group for the rising civilian death toll—claims Hamas consistently denies, calling them attempts to mislead public opinion.

According to an October 2024 CNN report, an Israeli soldier who spoke through the organization Breaking the Silence—an Israeli NGO founded in 2004 by reserve soldiers and officers to document military testimonies—said the Israeli army forced Palestinians into potentially booby-trapped homes and tunnels in Gaza to protect its forces. The soldier, whose unit reportedly detained two Palestinians to use them as human shields to scout dangerous areas, described the practice as widespread among Israeli units in Gaza, calling it the “Mosquito Protocol.”

The soldier recounted that an Israeli intelligence officer once brought two Palestinian prisoners—a 16-year-old boy and a 20-year-old man—and ordered units to use them as human shields to enter buildings, claiming they were affiliated with Hamas. When the soldier questioned the practice, his commander allegedly replied, “Better the Palestinian explodes than our soldiers.” After the soldier and his colleagues refused the orders and confronted their commander, who had advised them to ignore international law, the commander withdrew the order and released the prisoners, confirming they were not terrorists.

The soldier’s account aligns with interviews of five former Palestinian detainees in Gaza, all of whom said they were subjected to the Mosquito Protocol, describing detention by Israeli forces and being forced into potentially dangerous areas ahead of troops.

Other media reports have documented the use of the Mosquito Protocol in Gaza. On October 12, 2024, The New York Times cited Israeli soldiers and officials saying that at least 11 teams—including soldiers and intelligence personnel—used Palestinians as human shields in five cities across Gaza.

Several Palestinians and Israeli soldiers also told the Associated Press that Israeli forces systematically forced civilians to serve as human shields. The army responded that the “use of civilians as human shields is strictly prohibited” and said it was “investigating several cases alleging Palestinian involvement in operational tasks.” However, it provided no details and did not answer questions about the scope of the practice or orders from commanders.

“Breaking Ranks”: Israeli Soldiers’ Testimonies

At least 12 Israeli soldiers provided detailed accounts of their actions against civilians during two years of war in Gaza. Some spoke on the record, while others requested anonymity. The soldiers said that official rules of engagement regarding civilians had largely disappeared. Contrary to official denials, they described the routine use of civilians as human shields and detailed instances of unjustified targeting.

A soldier identified in the film as Eli said that decisions to kill or target civilians were not based on formal rules of engagement but on “the field commander’s conscience.” He added that nearly any civilian behavior could be interpreted as a military threat: “If a group of civilians walks too fast, they’re suspicious. If they walk too slowly, they’re suspicious. If three men walk together and one falls behind, that’s a two-to-one infantry formation—a military formation.”

Eli also recounted an incident in which a senior officer ordered a tank to destroy a building in a supposedly safe civilian area because a man was hanging laundry on the roof. Despite Eli’s certainty that the man was an unarmed civilian, the officer classified him as conducting surveillance and ordered a tank shell, partially collapsing the building and causing multiple casualties.

The film includes testimony from Major Neta Kaspin, who said some army rabbis promoted extremist views. She quoted a brigade rabbi as saying, “We must take revenge on all of them, including civilians.” These accounts were reinforced by Rabbi Abraham Zarbiyev, who served in Gaza for more than 500 days, saying, “Everything there is a large terrorist infrastructure.” Zarbiyev’s role went beyond religious justification for mass demolitions—he personally oversaw bulldozer operations.

Daniel, a tank unit commander, described the widespread use of the so-called “Mosquito Protocol,” in which civilians were used as human shields, confirming prior reports of the practice that Israeli authorities have long denied. In the documentary, Daniel said: “I sent the human shield underground. He had an iPhone in his jacket, and as he walked through the tunnel, he was sending us a full map. The commanders saw how the system worked, and the practice spread like wildfire. Within about a week, every company had its own ‘Mosquito Protocol.’”

Israel Responds to Controversial Documentary “Breaking Ranks: Inside Israel’s War”

The Times of Israel reported that the Israeli military responded in a written statement to the documentary’s claims, saying it “remains committed to the rule of law” and that “allegations of misconduct are thoroughly investigated.” The statement added that many inquiries conducted by the military police’s criminal investigation division are still ongoing.

Meanwhile, the media watchdog site Honest Reporting sharply criticized both the documentary and its creators, claiming the film “distorted the truth.” The site argued that the documentary misrepresented the war by portraying the Israeli army as targeting civilians while ignoring that the army is fighting a terrorist organization embedded within civilian areas. It further claimed that the filmmakers deliberately selected a “small number of carefully chosen soldiers” to tell the story, asserting that these accounts “distort—or entirely omit—key facts.”

The criticism extended to media outlets that reported on the documentary, including The Guardian and The Independent, and sought to discredit all participants in the film. In particular, the soldier identified as Yaakov was singled out for previously providing testimony to The New York Times through the NGO Breaking the Silence, which Honest Reporting described as promoting “unverified claims” and alleged that some participants are paid by the organization.

The site also targeted legal expert Dr. Itamar Mann, a professor of international law at the University of Haifa, for his sharp criticism of the Israeli army’s actions. It challenged the accuracy of the statistics cited in the documentary, including the claim that 83% of Gaza war casualties were women and children, arguing that the figure relied on data from the Hamas-run Ministry of Health, which it labeled unreliable.

The soldiers’ testimonies, however, provide strong evidence of the Israeli army’s use of civilians as human shields, contradicting the military’s repeated denials. They further expose the gaps in the army’s official narrative and its disregard for international law prohibiting such practices. One soldier, identified as Yaakov in the film, recounted his commander saying: “Soldiers should not worry about international law, only about the values of the Israeli army.”

Read More

Palestinian and Israeli Testimonies Prove That Israel Uses Civilians as Human Shields

How Israeli Propagandists Used X’s Location Feature To Target a Gaza Journalist