Natan Odenheimer

So actually, I stumbled into this story. Around January 2024, I was filling my water bottle at the gym when I heard someone who I quickly understood was an Israeli soldier who recently returned from Gaza talking about seeing Palestinians being sent into Hamas tunnels.

So actually, I stumbled into this story. Around January 2024, I was filling my water bottle at the gym when I heard someone who I quickly understood was an Israeli soldier who recently returned from Gaza talking about seeing Palestinians being sent into Hamas tunnels.

And what he was explaining is that the military is using Palestinians as human shields, sending them into Hamas tunnels ahead of Israeli forces to probe those dangerous areas.

And what he was explaining is that the military is using Palestinians as human shields, sending them into Hamas tunnels ahead of Israeli forces to probe those dangerous areas.

Precisely. And I admittedly wanted to know more. If true, if they were using Palestinians in this way in combat, this would be very, very wrong and illegal under both Israeli and international law. So I injected myself into the conversation, challenged him a bit to see how insistent he is. And he stood behind the story.

Precisely. And I admittedly wanted to know more. If true, if they were using Palestinians in this way in combat, this would be very, very wrong and illegal under both Israeli and international law. So I injected myself into the conversation, challenged him a bit to see how insistent he is. And he stood behind the story.

And I went back home that day knowing that I have to get to the bottom of this to understand if this is something that only happens in one or two places and is very local. Or is this something that is actually a widespread phenomena across the military? So what did you do next? How did your reporting take shape? Well, so I had one lead, right?

And I went back home that day knowing that I have to get to the bottom of this to understand if this is something that only happens in one or two places and is very local. Or is this something that is actually a widespread phenomena across the military? So what did you do next? How did your reporting take shape? Well, so I had one lead, right?

I was able to get his number and I called him up a few days later, introduced myself as a journalist, said that I'm interested to hearing more of his thoughts about how the war is being fought. And when we got to this topic again, he shared a few more details telling me more or less where it took place. But at some point he closed in and said that he'd want to stop the conversation there and

I was able to get his number and I called him up a few days later, introduced myself as a journalist, said that I'm interested to hearing more of his thoughts about how the war is being fought. And when we got to this topic again, he shared a few more details telling me more or less where it took place. But at some point he closed in and said that he'd want to stop the conversation there and

He said that he's not very willing to talk about this anymore.

He said that he's not very willing to talk about this anymore.

Right. And we had a lot of questions. We wanted to know how widespread it is. Who are those Palestinians? And mainly, who authorized this? And slowly, slowly, we were able to find more people. Some of them came forward because they thought that it's very disturbing. Others, we just kept on asking those questions. And we were able to piece together a full picture. And what did that picture show?

Right. And we had a lot of questions. We wanted to know how widespread it is. Who are those Palestinians? And mainly, who authorized this? And slowly, slowly, we were able to find more people. Some of them came forward because they thought that it's very disturbing. Others, we just kept on asking those questions. And we were able to piece together a full picture. And what did that picture show?

So over a course of about 10 months of investigation, we... Bilal Shabir, my colleague in Gaza, and Patrick Hinckley, the Jerusalem bureau chief of the New York Times, were able to uncover a disturbing practice of the Israeli military in Gaza. The Israeli military was using Palestinians as human shields in Gaza.

So over a course of about 10 months of investigation, we... Bilal Shabir, my colleague in Gaza, and Patrick Hinckley, the Jerusalem bureau chief of the New York Times, were able to uncover a disturbing practice of the Israeli military in Gaza. The Israeli military was using Palestinians as human shields in Gaza.

They were using them to probe Hamas tunnels, and they sent them ahead of forces into homes that they were afraid were booby-trapped by Hamas. In some cases, Palestinian detainees were dressed as IDF soldiers, and in others, they were given body cameras to take with them to give live feed to Israeli soldiers.

They were using them to probe Hamas tunnels, and they sent them ahead of forces into homes that they were afraid were booby-trapped by Hamas. In some cases, Palestinian detainees were dressed as IDF soldiers, and in others, they were given body cameras to take with them to give live feed to Israeli soldiers.

Right. So... There are different reasons. So first off, as great as drones and robots and even canine dogs can probe tunnels, a human being that can walk and move objects is way more efficient in probing areas. Sometimes a person can do tasks that a drone and a robot can't really do. And the other thing is that after three months of war, a canine dog is not as efficient as it was in the past.

Right. So... There are different reasons. So first off, as great as drones and robots and even canine dogs can probe tunnels, a human being that can walk and move objects is way more efficient in probing areas. Sometimes a person can do tasks that a drone and a robot can't really do. And the other thing is that after three months of war, a canine dog is not as efficient as it was in the past.