Human shields in the Israeli–Palestinian conflict refers to tactics employed in the Israeli–Palestinian conflict where non-combatants are placed in the line of fire to prevent military objectives from being targeted without harming the non-combatant. The accusation of the use of human shields is a common theme in the conflict. The use of Palestinians as human shields by the Israel Defense Forces has been documented by human rights organizations. Hamas has also been accused of using human shields by Israel and its allies. In addition, international and Israeli activists have voluntarily used themselves as human shields to stop Israeli violence against Palestinians.