Israel says it eliminated three terrorists during the raid on January 30th and staved off a major attack which was imminent. But disguising combatants as medical personnel probably breaks international law, which prohibits “perfidy”. What is that crime?
Under international humanitarian law (ihl), which governs how armies may wage war, it is illegal to kill or wound “treacherously”. Specifically, that covers “acts inviting the confidence of an adversary to lead him to believe that he is entitled to…protection”. This is distinct from classical military deception. The classic example of perfidy is feigning surrender. If you wave a white flag and then pull out a gun as the enemy approaches to take you prisoner, that is a straightforward breach of the law.
Perfidy also includes a number of other acts. Soldiers cannot use the uniforms or signs of United Nations peacekeepers, or those of neutral countries. They cannot pretend to be wounded to lull the enemy into approaching or simulate the “distinctive emblem of cultural property”, for instance disguising a command post as a mosque. Air forces can broadcast transponder signals that make their planes look like enemy ones—which enjoy no special protection—but they cannot pretend to be medical transports or send distress signals.
Some in Israel argue that the raid’s location in the West Bank, rather than Gaza, means that it was not an act of war, subject to ihl, but a form of law enforcement. The West Bank is under formal military occupation by Israel. Yet in that case, a separate body of law—International Human Rights Law (ihrl)—still applies. And ihrl does not permit assassination. The latest episode will intensify a raging debate over Israel’s compliance with the law.
@CampaignBobolinkDemocrat4mos4MO
It sounds like they should have simply entered the hospital as soldiers.
As for executing a Hamas militant about to kill civilians? Meh!
@Supr3meCourtStellaGreen4mos4MO
So the guy in intensive care was plotting to kill the doctors?
You are not in the least a skeptical aussie.
They could easily have arrested the men and placed them before a judge. Dressing up as doctors (a war crime) and killing the individuals in cold-blood was unnecessary and extremely uncivilized. Israeli society as a whole is becoming increasingly brutal and uncivilized.
@Lobby1stQuailRepublican4mos4MO
People tend to forget that these executions of suspects took place in the West Bank, where Palestinians are ruled by the IDF under Israeli military law. The agents of the "only democracy in the Middle East" killing suspects instead of arresting them and trying them for their alleged crimes.
@WakefulFishGreen4mos4MO
They have no right to arrest anyone in the West Bank because it’s not israel it’s Palestine
@9JLDTTK4mos4MO
I don't like the Israelis and From the river to the sea Palestine will be free inshallah.
@9JL8L4C4mos4MO
It wrong and many INNOCENT people are losing their lives.
@9JL94344mos4MO
The Israeli government needs to be dissolved.
@9JKS58H4mos4MO
i believe that the israel hospital raid is very important and that hospitals should not be raided.
@9JKVGZD4mos4MO
Israel is not the bad side, Hamas attacked first and is a terrorist group. It is not Jews and the people of Israels fault that the leader of Israel is a bad leader.
@9JL9SCD4mos4MO
As I haven't yet researched enough information on the raid, I cannot give my full opinion, but from what I have glanced over it seems as though a crime against humanity has been committed by the Israeli government.
@9JKYYZ64mos4MO
The fact that people are targeting hospitals filled with sick and disabled people is horrible. We need to do something so that this stops and never happens again.
@9JKXKQDPeace and Freedom4mos4MO
I wish everywhere was treated the same
@9JKRPKP4mos4MO
Larger countries need to come together and resolve the conflict
@9JKR2N94mos4MO
I believe that the situation in Palestine is a devastating genocide.
@ForeignPolicyGnuDemocrat4mos4MO
Nope. It’s Israel adhering to the ICJ telling Israel to limit casualties!
Not only did they limit casualties, no one even knew what happened.
You are just repeating the Arab narrative to hide the fact how superior Israel is and how this backfired on you all!
I don't think it was a War Crime as they had to put out a message to Palestine or there would never be peace.
@9JKXMKNPeace and Freedom4mos4MO
Israelis are raiding a "hospital" How much of a hypocrite can they be? Don't they have mother, sister, children, wife? Won't they care if all of them died are they really that much of heartless? These people need to teach some lessons they are going more than they should.
@9JKQKSY4mos4MO
i think Israel is working up to genocide.
@9JLDSYZ4mos4MO
There is 0 evidence that the Palestinians were terrorists other than Israel saying so
@9JKQ5CD4mos4MO
I believe that what Israel and the I.D.F. have done are atrocious and are not justified by the attacks on October 7th. I think that Israel should be removed from Gaza and be held accountable for both the war crimes they have committed, and the thousands of innocent Palestinians murdered due to their "attempt" to hunt down Hamas.
@9JL25GF4mos4MO
I think we should stop giving weapons to the Israeli.
@UnstoppableTacosVeteran4mos4MO
Reportedly? I assume this is from a Hamas source.
We saved Israeli and Palestinian lives preventing a huge bomb attack planned in the Hamas terrorist command post in this hospital. Which by the way is a war crime.
The 3 Hamas terrorists are now pushing up the daisies.
@9JKX3KQIndependent4mos4MO
This can cause a lot more problems because of this war crime and we can possibly get involved.
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