https://maktoobmedia.com/world/a-guide-to-understanding-war-crimes-by-israel/

As Israel’s recent aggression on Gaza pauses after the 48th day, the state has accumulated a long list of what looks like blatant violations of the International Humanitarian Law (IHL), the law aimed to curb the brutality of war and set universal basic limits to address humanitarian concerns during armed conflict.

Law experts have called out Israel for considering itself above the law and criticizing the drawn-out history of impunity the occupying state continues to enjoy. Before we continue, we must understand that IHL does not stop wars from taking place, instead, it offers restrictions to how it should be carried out. Theoretically, the aim of war must not be to destroy the enemy, but only to overpower their military ability.

The founder of IHL is Henri Dunant, a Swiss businessman, who, en route to France, encountered the Battle of Solferino and witnessed wounded soldiers who were left to die due to lack of help. He set up a makeshift hospital at a church in the village of Solferino and treated the wounded, French or Austrian, without discrimination, with the help of ladies and elderly in the village.

Upon his return, he wrote a book called “The Memory of Solferino” where he proposed an independent entity in each state to protect and care for the wounded during war regardless of which side they come from, and partook in a team to establish the International Red Cross Committee.

The first-ever set of laws entailed that Red Cross Societies along with military medical service, both protected by their medical emblems, must adhere to the duty to respect, protect and care for sick or wounded military. After the world wars, the list of protected persons and the degree to which they were protected were expanded to include prisoners of war, civilians, press correspondents, etc. No one can create special agreements that go against these protections.