Gaza Genocide: The Mosquito Protocol
The term "Mosquito Protocol" refers to a disturbing tactic employed by Israeli soldiers who use Palestinian civilians as human shields or compel them to undertake hazardous tasks. This practice is seldom reported in Western media, which tends to portray Hamas as the primary perpetrator of such actions.
Whistle-blowers and organizations like Breaking the Silence, made up of former Israeli soldiers, have corroborated that this method is regularly utilized by the Israeli military. Notably, it predates the Gaza Genocide and was frequently used in the West Bank under the names "Neighbour Procedure" or "Johnnie Procedure". What is particularly appalling is that children are often coerced, through threats and violence, to act as human shields. They are forced to enter buildings suspected of containing explosives, inspect suspicious packages, or even "remove pipe bombs and suspected explosives".
Other horrific instances include binding a child to the front of a military vehicle or forcing them to walk in front of a tank column. B’Tselem, an Israeli human rights organization, along with Defense for Children International, has documented numerous such cases. For example, in April 2004, a 13-year-old named Mohammed Bedwan was photographed "tied by the hands to the front of an Israeli armored vehicle" in the village of Biddu in the West Bank.
In May 2023, 16-year-old Ahed Mohammad Rida Mer’eb was "made to stand in front of an Israeli military vehicle in Jenin while Palestinian militants were firing at the Israeli soldiers". In 2009, three teenage brothers from the Al Attar family were forced at gunpoint to kneel in front of tanks to deter militants from firing. Similarly, two IDF staff sergeants compelled nine-year-old Majed R. from the Al Hawa neighborhood to "open bags they suspected were booby-trapped with explosives". Such acts exemplify extreme cowardice and inhumanity, leaving parents to witness their children endure the terrifying risk of being blown apart at any moment.
The gravity of this practice led the Israeli High Court of Justice to ban it in a landmark ruling in October 2005. However, the examples provided indicate that the ruling has been largely ignored, with Israeli soldiers continuing to use civilians, particularly children, as human shields under severe threats and violence. The situation has worsened with the Gaza conflict, evolving into what is now referred to as the "Mosquito Protocol".
Numerous cases of cuffed or tracked "teenagers forced to do ‘tunnel sweeping and reconnaissance of the terrain’" have been extensively documented by Defense for Children International. A notable instance occurred in September 2024 during the siege of Al Shifa Hospital, where young children were made to walk directly in front of tanks and bulldozers while soldiers remained concealed behind them. One traumatized boy recounted, "the army instructed us to walk in front of tanks and stop at every building they were searching".
The extent of this reprehensible practice within the Israeli army is revealed in a documentary by The Guardian and Times of Israel titled "Breaking Ranks: inside Israel's war" (November 2025). In it, a commander named Daniel explicitly outlined one of the tactics employed: "You send the human shield (derogatorily nicknamed Mosquito, wasp, or ‘shawish’) underground. He has an iPhone in his vest, and as he walks, it sends back GPS information". He further stated, "Other commanders observed how it worked, and the practice spread rapidly. Every company began operating its own mosquitoes".
Clearly, these actions contravene international law and are classified as war crimes under the Rome Statute, which established the International Criminal Court.
Mauritius, as a signatory to the Rome Statute, is obligated to take legal action against any individuals connected to such crimes upon their arrival in Mauritian territory, provided they are identified as such. This has been done in several countries, with the most recent cases reported in the Czech Republic and Morocco.
Azize Bankur.