The Israeli military has forced Palestinians to enter potentially booby-trapped houses and tunnels in Gaza to avoid putting its troops in harm’s way, according to an Israel Defence Forces (IDF) soldier and five former detainees who said they were victims of the practice, CNN reports.

The soldier, who said his unit held two Palestinian prisoners for the explicit purpose of using them as human shields to probe dangerous places, said the practice was prevalent among Israeli units in Gaza.

“We told them to enter the building before us,” he explained. “If there are any booby traps, they will explode and not us.”

It was so common in the Israeli military that it had a name: “mosquito protocol.”

The exact scale and scope of the Israeli military practice is unknown. However, the testimony of both the soldier and five civilians shows that it was widespread across the territory: in northern Gaza, Gaza City, Khan Younis and Rafah.

Read more here.