American priest and nun act as human shields to protect militant's home

Gaza: An American priest and nun camped out yesterday at a Palestinian militant's home that Israel has targeted for destruction, the first foreigners to join a weeklong standoff between Palestinian "human shields" and the Israeli air force.

Father Peter Dougherty, 65, and Sister Mary Ellen Gundeck, 55, both Michigan-based peace activists, said they were sent by God to help protect the Palestinians. The pair arrived yesterday morning at the family home of Mohammad Baroud.

For the past week, Palestinian militants and civilians have crowded into five militants' houses, to bodily thwart Israeli threats to hit them with missiles.

Since militants allied with the ruling Hamas party kidnapped an Israeli soldier in June, the Israeli air force has destroyed the homes of at least 73 militants.

Dougherty and Gundeck said they had visited several of the houses under threat on Tuesday, and yesterday reached Baroud's three-storey home. "It is wrong for Israel to bomb people's houses," Dougherty said. "We are here in solidarity, and to try communicate to the world what is really going on." The nun and priest said they were staying for several hours at each of the targeted houses. They were warmly welcomed by Ahmad Baroud, a brother of the militant.

However, the New York-based Human Rights Watch said militants calling on civilians to act as human shields was a "war crime." "There is no excuse for calling civilians to the scene of a planned attack," said Sarah Leah Whitson, Middle East director. In a statement, the rights group also criticised Israel's policy of shelling houses.