Henry Jackson Society Report: Hamas's Human Shield Strategy in Gaza

A new report by the Henry Jackson Society sheds critical light on Hamas’s deliberate and systematic use of human shield tactics during the October 7 attack and the broader conflict in Gaza. Drawing on legal analysis, military intelligence, and eyewitness testimony, the report reveals how Hamas embeds its fighters and weapons within civilian infrastructure, such as homes, schools, and hospitals, to deter Israeli strikes and manipulate international opinion. It identifies ten distinct strategies employed to weaponize Gaza’s population, including the use of tunnels beneath civilian buildings and the staging of combat operations in humanitarian zones. By omitting these tactics from their assessments, the report argues, international bodies like the UN and many NGOs obscure Hamas’s role in civilian casualties and distort the moral and legal landscape of the conflict.

The following is an executive summary of the report. For the full report, click here.

The report by the Henry Jackson Society provides a comprehensive analysis of Hamas’s systematic use of human shield tactics during the 7 October Israel–Hamas war and the broader Gaza conflict. Drawing on extensive evidence from international media, military assessments, legal frameworks, and first-hand accounts, the report outlines how Hamas has embedded its military operations within civilian infrastructure, weaponizing Gaza’s population and urban landscape to achieve both tactical and strategic objectives.

The report highlights that Hamas has deliberately and systematically exploited Gaza’s civilian infrastructure to shield its military assets from attack by the Israel Defence Forces (IDF), violating the prohibition of the use of civilian shields under the Law of Armed Conflict. Hamas has employed ten distinct human shield strategies that knowingly place the civilian population at high risk of harm throughout the conflict. These strategies include using the vast tunnel network built beneath densely populated areas, often with shafts hidden in civilian buildings and even children’s bedrooms, and utilizing civilian structures like homes, schools, humanitarian zones, and hospitals for military purposes such as combat, weapons storage, command centres, and launching rockets.

The report contends that the UN and many NGOs accusing Israel of war crimes and genocide deliberately disregard Hamas’s human shield strategy. This omission erases Hamas as an active party and places full blame for civilian casualties on Israel. The evidence documented in this report is absent from UN and NGO reports that discuss the war in Gaza. A proper evaluation of the conflict must assess the full range of tactics used by Hamas. The human shield strategy was intended to impede the IDF’s efforts and to generate worldwide condemnation of Israel when civilians were inevitably killed on the urban battlefield.

Hamas leaders have openly acknowledged that their tunnel network is primarily for combatants, not civilians, leaving the civilian population exposed. Hamas’s human shield strategy is far more extensive and complex than just the tunnels. This tactic increases the likelihood of civilian casualties when the IDF targets Hamas, creating a dilemma for Israel: either attack Hamas targets with the knowledge of civilian harm, incurring international criticism, or allow Hamas immunity. The report characterizes itself as the “missing chapter” from other reports, documenting how Hamas’s actions directly led to substantial civilian casualties by rigging civilian infrastructure.

Worldwide leaders, including those from the U.S., UK, Australia, Canada, and New Zealand, as well as military experts and intelligence agencies, acknowledge and decry Hamas’s human shield strategy. The Law of Armed Conflict (LOAC) defines human shields as utilizing the presence of civilians to make military targets immune from operations. The report also classifies other actions as human shield tactics, such as Hamas operatives engaging in combat in civilian clothes, which deliberately blurs the lines between combatants and civilians and is prohibited by the LOAC as perfidy.

Hamas’s tactics complicate the IDF’s targeting process. While the IDF uses intelligence-driven processes, including a Civilian Harm Mitigation Cell (CHMC) to assess civilian activity and minimize harm, collateral damage is likely higher when the enemy is concealed within protected civilian locations.

In conclusion, the report argues that Hamas’s systematic exploitation of civilian infrastructure and population is a calculated operational choice, not an incidental byproduct of conflict. This strategy violates international law, exacerbates civilian suffering, and complicates conflict resolution. It sets a dangerous precedent and underscores the need for evidence-based reporting and accountability for non-state actors using these tactics.

Source: Andrew Fox, Salo Aizenberg, “Hamas’s Human Shield Strategy in Gaza,” Henry Jackson Society, (May 4, 2025).