1. Short title This Act may be cited as the Hamas Human Shields Prevention Act . 2. Findings Congress finds the following: (1) Human shields are civilians, prisoners of war, and other noncombatants whose presence is designed to protect combatants and military objects from attack, and the use of human shields violates international law. (2) Throughout the 2006–2007 takeover of Gaza by Hamas, the organization engaged in summary executions and torture, and put the lives of civilians at constant risk. (3) Since that 2006–2007 takeover of Gaza, Hamas forces have repeatedly fired rockets at the Israeli Defense Forces and at Israeli civilian areas, from civilian areas predominantly occupied by Palestinians including hospitals, mosques, and schools, putting Palestinian lives at constant risk. (4) It is common practice for the Israeli Defense Forces to drop aerial leaflets, make announcements over radio, place phone calls, and send text messages warning of a coming military strike before targeting terrorists operating near Palestinian civilian areas. (5) Hamas leaders routinely discourage Palestinian civilians from heeding these warnings, instructing them to remain in their homes, and, in some cases, force civilians to gather on the roofs of their homes to act as human shields. (6) In 2010, Hamas forced children to work as laborers in the tunnel networks between Gaza and Egypt. (7) On June 9, 2017, the United Nations Relief and Works Agency announced it had discovered Hamas tunnels under two of its schools in the Gaza Strip, adding it was unacceptable that students and staff are placed at risk in such a way. . (8) Hamas was designated as a foreign terrorist organization by the Secretary of State on October 8, 1997. (9) In addition to Hamas, other foreign terrorist organizations, such as the Islamic State, al-Qa’ida, and al-Shabaab, typically use civilians as human shields. (10) Congress has repeatedly condemned the use of human shields by Hamas and other foreign terrorist organizations. 3. Statement of policy It shall be