1.-Mohammed Fahmi Abu Hussein, 70, and his wife Mazyona Hassan Fares Abu Hussein, 65, were used as “human shields,” a common and systematic practice by the Israeli occupation forces (IOF) involving Palestinian detainees, which they refer to as the“mosquito protocol”, despite the fact that it violates Israeli law and international law and constitutes a war crime and a crime against humanity.
2.-. The couple lived in their home in the Al Zeytoum neighborhood of Gaza City with their children and their families. The eldest were Ahmed, 38, and Rami. In May 2024, the IOF launched another ground offensive in Gaza City, after bombing the neighborhood and neighboring homes and ordering an evacuation.
3.-The children and their families fled south, but the grandparents, Mazyona and Mohammed, remained in their home; due to their age, they were unable to leave, and Mohammed had health issues and needed a cane to walk.
4.- Their children called them every day; their parents told them that the IOF was approaching the neighborhood. On the fourth day after they left, when their children called in the morning, their father told them that soldiers had entered the house. They asked him who he was speaking with, and when he said it was his son, they ordered him to hang up; they never heard from them again.
5.- The publication *Ha Makon*, citing Israeli military sources, reported that in May 2024, an elderly couple in Al Zeytoun had been used as “human shields” by the IOF (the Nahal Brigade); explosives were hung around their necks, and under threat of detonation, they were ordered to lead the way to search buildings and avoid booby traps or resistance attacks for 8 hours; Afterward, they were reportedly released and ordered to head south, but were killed by IOF gunfire.
6.-When they returned, the children found the house looted and burned; they searched for news of their parents. They found the father’s remains at Al Alhi Hospital, with one leg amputated and the right side of his body mangled; they identified him by a tattoo on one hand. Their mother’s mangled body was found on Salah Al Din Street; only fragments of her face remained, and she was identified by the gold caps on her teeth. They were killed by explosives, not gunfire. This was confirmed by EuroMed Human Rights Monitor with the family.
Drawing by Dolores Collado
Full story (printable version): 039_abuelos_escudo_english.pdf
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