Hidden Bases Among Homes: Israel’s Controversial Military Strategy
WANA (Aug 24) – Amid ongoing Middle East tensions, a troubling question has resurfaced: does the Israeli military deliberately place its command centers and sensitive infrastructure within civilian neighborhoods? If true, this would not only reshape military dynamics but also challenge the very boundaries of humanitarian law in war.
Testimony from Within Israel
Uri Goldberg, an Israeli researcher, has openly stated that the government deliberately positions many of its key military sites inside residential areas and busy urban centers. He even confirmed that some important headquarters are located near Soroka Hospital in Be’er Sheva, where thousands of civilians pass through daily.
His remarks have gained traction internationally. The UK-based outlet Arab cited Goldberg, reporting that Israel consciously adopts this arrangement as a form of “urban shield.”
New and shocking details about the locations of Israeli command bases in residential areas. Social media / WANA News Agency
Tel Aviv: Israel’s Pentagon Surrounded by Civilians
Perhaps the clearest example is in central Tel Aviv. According to Turkish broadcaster TRT, the “Kirya”—known as Israel’s Pentagon and home to the General Staff and Ministry of Defense—is surrounded by residential towers, the Azrieli Mall, Hashalom train station, and just steps away from Ichilov Hospital. Such military–civilian overlap poses clear risks to those living and working nearby.
Occupation of Homes in the West Bank
This pattern extends beyond Tel Aviv and Be’er Sheva. In the West Bank, the Israeli army has repeatedly converted Palestinian homes into military posts. On June 15, 2025, Al Jazeera reported that Israeli forces had evicted dozens of Palestinian families, turning their homes into temporary fortifications—particularly in Hebron, where civilian houses became barracks to shield soldiers from potential Iranian missile strikes.
Israeli newspapers have revealed that the army has seized at least 250 homes and apartments in the West Bank for use as makeshift bases. This has sparked criticism from Israeli legal experts and fueled renewed international condemnation.
The Israeli army in the West Bank. Social media/ WANA News Agency
Criticism and Defense of the Strategy
Critics argue that such tactics blur the line between military and civilian targets, increasing the risk of civilian casualties while eroding the ethical and legal boundaries of warfare. By embedding command centers in urban cores, they say, Israel raises the stakes for civilians caught in conflict.
Defenders of the policy counter that Israel’s dense population and limited geography leave no alternative but to locate military facilities within cities. Yet, testimony from insiders like Goldberg suggests that this is not merely a geographic necessity, but a calculated strategy leveraging civilians as a form of “human shield.”
As Israel’s shadow conflict with Iran persists, one question remains unresolved: is the embedding of military bases among civilian populations a defensive necessity—or a deliberate tactic of deterrence through the risk of civilian casualties? The answer lies on a fragile line between security and morality, between strategy and human rights.
