Human rights and local sources reported that the Israeli army, following its attacks on Iran, has raided Palestinian homes and neighborhoods in the West Bank and converted them into military sites, raising concerns that Palestinians are being used as human shields.

Since the beginning of the Israeli escalation with Iran, the Israeli occupation army has begun further tightening its grip on Palestinians in the West Bank. Not only has it closed off main roads between cities and villages, but it has also increased the frequency of arrests, raids, and nighttime raids.

It's worth noting that the Israeli occupation army has increased its military pressure on the West Bank since October 7, increasing the number of military checkpoints and iron gates to 898, including 18 iron gates since the beginning of the year. It has also arrested approximately 10,000 Palestinians, both male and female.

Since the Israeli attack on Iran, violations against Palestinians have escalated, starting with the near-total closure of the West Bank, restrictions on movement and travel, and the imposition of curfews in several areas.

The most noticeable change witnessed by Palestinians was the presence of large numbers of Israeli soldiers and military vehicles in Palestinian cities at night, coinciding with the arrival of Iranian missiles into the occupied territories.

Human rights activist Issa Amro says that the Israeli occupation has been planning to hide in Palestinian homes after the war on Iran. Since June 14, the occupation army has moved large numbers of soldiers and military equipment from military bases into Palestinian residential neighborhoods, evacuating dozens of homes and apartment buildings. The soldiers remain in each neighborhood for 24 to 48 hours, then move on to other neighborhoods and homes. These attacks have been extensively documented in the Hebron Governorate in the southern West Bank.

Amr added that the Israeli occupation is using Palestinian neighborhoods as military zones and Palestinian civilians as human shields, which violates international law and endangers the lives of Palestinians by forcing them from their homes and posing among them in military uniform and equipment.

Nashat al-Rajabi, a citizen from Hebron, said that the occupation forces raided his home, along with the home of his family and brothers, and told them to leave immediately and that they could return the next day. When he asked why, the occupation soldiers told him that they could not remain in their military bases for fear of being targeted.

Al-Rajabi stated that he and more than 30 other people, including women and children, were forced to spend the night outside their homes. He added that upon their return the next day, they found that Israeli occupation soldiers had ransacked the contents of the house and disposed of them as they pleased.

Abdul Jabbar Shabana said that the Israeli occupation forces occupied the family's six-story home, placed Israeli flags on it, and asked the building's residents to evacuate and not return, as they were turning it into a military site under the pretext of a"security incident" in the area.

According to Shabana, more than 50 soldiers occupied the house for five days, used all its components, and vandalized it, causing the family losses estimated at $30,000.

Local media reported that on the same night, three residential buildings in the same neighborhood were seized, and large numbers of Israeli soldiers were seen in the alleys and streets, assaulting and searching residents.

This practice has been repeated in various Palestinian cities and villages across the West Bank, from north to south, with 17 homes reported seized in the northern West Bank, and several others in the center and south.

Human rights organizations such as Human Rights Watch and the Israeli organization B'Tselem have documented cases of Palestinian civilians being used as human shields in previous years.

Under international humanitarian law, using civilians to protect military sites or operations constitutes a war crime, according to Article 8 of the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court. The Fourth Geneva Convention also prohibits the use of civilians as human shields.