U.S. calls reports of Israeli soldiers using civilians as human shields 'incredibly disturbing'

The U.S. on Wednesday called reports of Israeli soldiers in Gaza regularly using civilians as human shields "incredibly disturbing," adding that there can be no justification for such actions.

"If the facts presented in that report are true, they're completely unacceptable. There is no reason, there can be no justification ever for the use of civilians as human shields," State Department Matthew Miller told reporters.

Miller said if the allegations are true, they would violate both international law and the Israeli army's own code of conduct.

He said that it is "entirely appropriate" for Israelis to investigate the claims and called for accountability if the investigations confirm the violations.

He also urged the Israeli army to take steps to prevent such practices from occurring in the future.

According to a New York Times report on Monday, during the ongoing Gaza war, which began over a year ago and has killed over 42,000 Gazans, most of them women and children, Palestinian detainees are regularly forced by Israel to perform life-threatening tasks.

The Israeli army has denied the reports.