The Israeli air strikes on the Gaza Strip represent severe and massive violations of international humanitarian law as defined in the Geneva Convention, both in regard to the obligations of an occupying power and in the requirements of the laws of war.
Those violations include:
Collective punishment – the entire 1.5 million people who live in the crowded Gaza Strip are being punished for the actions of a few militants.
Targeting civilians – the air strikes were aimed at civilian areas in one of the most crowded stretches of land in the world
Disproportionate military response – the air strikes have not only destroyed every police and security office of Gaza's elected government, but have killed and injured hundreds of civilians
Certainly the rocket attacks against civilian targets in Israel are unlawful. But that illegality does not give Israel any right
to violate international humanitarian law and commit war crimes
the one Israeli killed today
is the first in over a year
clipped from: www.russiatoday.com 