Protecting Gaza’s Civilians – Battling Hamas’ Human Shields: Sullivan Speaks Up

Israel has received its fair share of international criticism in recent years for its actions in the Gaza Strip. This is particularly the case when it comes to the apparent violation of international humanitarian law (IHL) by Israel in its efforts to protect its civilians. While it is true that Hamas, the governing body in the Gaza Strip, has used human shields to protect their own forces and launched indiscriminate rockets against Israeli civilians, this does not absolve Israel of its obligations under IHL. As recently stated by US Secretary of State Antony Sullivan, the protection of Gaza civilians is paramount and Israel must ensure its use of deadly force meets the appropriate legal standards. Sullivan pointed to the fact that Hamas have assembled human shields around their own forces as part of their defensive strategy, an act that directly violates IHL. Yet, Israel must still take the utmost care to ensure that its own defensive operations only target legitimate military targets. The international community must look critically at the context in which the conflict is taking place and acknowledge that Hamas has done its fair share of wrong-doing. Nevertheless, IHL still has an important role to play in the protection of civilians regardless of who is responsible for the conflict. The US is right to call on Israel to ensure that its retaliatory actions comply with IHL to protect the innocent Gaza civilians who are caught in the middle of the conflict between Hamas and the Israeli government. Ultimately, protecting the civilian population of the Gaza Strip is an obligation that all parties engaged in the conflict must fulfil. Both sides must respect the laws of armed conflict and take proper measures to reduce civilian casualties. The US is rightly raising the flag on this issue and they should be applauded for their continuing commitment to a peaceful resolution to the conflict. Israel has received its fair share of international criticism in recent years for its actions in the Gaza Strip. This is particularly the case when it comes to the apparent violation of international humanitarian law (IHL) by Israel in its efforts to protect its civilians. While it is true that Hamas, the governing body in the Gaza Strip, has used human shields to protect their own forces and launched indiscriminate rockets against Israeli civilians, this does not absolve Israel of its obligations under IHL. As recently stated by US Secretary of State Antony Sullivan, the protection of Gaza civilians is paramount and Israel must ensure its use of deadly force meets the appropriate legal standards. Sullivan pointed to the fact that Hamas have assembled human shields around their own forces as part of their defensive strategy, an act that directly violates IHL. Yet, Israel must still take the utmost care to ensure that its own defensive operations only target legitimate military targets. The international community must look critically at the context in which the conflict is taking place and acknowledge that Hamas has done its fair share of wrong-doing. Nevertheless, IHL still has an important role to play in the protection of civilians regardless of who is responsible for the conflict. The US is right to call on Israel to ensure that its retaliatory actions comply with IHL to protect the innocent Gaza civilians who are caught in the middle of the conflict between Hamas and the Israeli government. Ultimately, protecting the civilian population of the Gaza Strip is an obligation that all parties engaged in the conflict must fulfil. Both sides must respect the laws of armed conflict and take proper measures to reduce civilian casualties. The US is rightly raising the flag on this issue and they should be applauded for their continuing commitment to a peaceful resolution to the conflict.