DUBAI, November 21. /TASS/. The Israeli army uses medical workers as human shields, the Palestine Red Crescent Society said in a statement on the X social media platform.

"The occupation forces used our team as human shields after detaining them inside a house while they were en route to evacuate an injured person in the eastern neighborhood of Jenin, during a raid on the house," the statement reads.

Tensions intensified again in the Middle East on October 7, 2023, when militants from the Gaza Strip-based radical Palestinian movement Hamas launched a surprise attack on Israel, killing residents of border settlements and taking hostages. In response, Israel initiated a military operation in the Palestinian enclave to dismantle Hamas' military and political structures and free all hostages.