So Many War Criminals in the Gaza Carnage

Why Aren’t We Talking About Them? Are They Hiding?

What constitutes a war crime or the violation of the laws of war? There are many lists, but the International Criminal Court (ICC) in its Rome Statute (Article 8) provides one of the most comprehensive lists. While the list is long, in the Gaza war the most applicable crimes are: torture, unjustified destruction and appropriation of property (such as infrastructure), unlawful confinement, deportation and transfer of residents, rape, forced pregnancy, taking hostages, using banned weapons (such as white phosphorous), killing or wounding combatants who have surrendered, and intentional attacks on civilians, peacekeepers, aid groups and on the press.

A member of the IDF justified the ongoing carnage of civilians in Gaza by a simple connection of all Gazans to Hamas. The indiscriminate bombing in Gaza, killing thousands of women and children at a higher rate than that witnessed in the heaviest bombardment in WWII, was justified because of the Hamas attack of October 7. Why? He argued that all Palestinians living in Gaza were complicit in the attack of October 7 because they should have overthrown Hamas from power and put another government in power.

If you buy this line of reasoning in defense of massacring thousands of women AND children, then wow! Apparently the IDF believes that children should be taught what makes a government evil and then they must overthrow such a government. Children should overthrow…