Tag
Serious violations of the laws and customs of war as defined in the Geneva Conventions and Rome Statute, including attacks on civilians, use of prohibited weapons, destruction of civilian infrastructure, and denial of humanitarian access.
7 incidents
Israel launched Operation Eternal Darkness on April 8, 2026 — 100 airstrikes in 10 minutes across Lebanon using 50 jets and ~160 munitions, killing 357 and injuring 1,223. The US remained silent, continued arms supply, and provided diplomatic cover.
US forces destroyed Iran's landmark B1 bridge near Karaj in a double-tap strike during Nowruz holiday celebrations, killing 8 civilians and wounding 95. The bridge — 176 meters tall and 1,050 meters long — was under construction and had never been used for any military purpose. The strike marked the first direct hit on major civilian infrastructure following Trump's 'Stone Ages' threats.
Trump's explicit threat to destroy Iran's civilian power infrastructure constitutes a per se violation of international humanitarian law. The threats escalated from 'obliterate' to a promise of 'complete demolition' of all civilian infrastructure. Combined with 3,400+ killed including 1,600+ civilians, this represents a confirmed war crime classification.
A sustained pattern of strikes on Iranian hospitals, ambulances, and medical infrastructure has killed healthcare workers and forced the evacuation of six hospitals. The WHO verified 18 attacks on health sites through mid-March 2026, documenting systematic damage to protected medical facilities including Gandhi Hospital and Iranian Red Crescent centers. The pattern continued through the April 7 ceasefire, and HRW documented further strikes through the ceasefire period in its April 2026 report.
A systematic campaign to destroy the International Criminal Court's ability to hold Americans accountable for war crimes, combining unprecedented sanctions on judges with demands to rewrite the Rome Statute itself. The campaign goes far beyond any previous US opposition to the ICC, seeking not merely non-cooperation but the permanent restructuring of international criminal justice.
President Trump publicly called for the forced displacement of 2.3 million Palestinians from Gaza, describing it as 'cleaning out' the territory. The proposal was condemned by the UN, Arab League, and international lawyers as ethnic cleansing. Trump subsequently issued executive orders and pressure on Egypt and Jordan to accept Palestinian deportees.
Israel deployed US-supplied white phosphorus over Lebanese civilian areas in 191 attacks across 17+ municipalities since October 2023, continuing through March 2026. HRW verified the attacks as unlawfully indiscriminate and called for suspension of US arms transfers.