03:57 - Source: CNN
CNN embeds with Israeli forces inside Gaza
Editor’s Note: John Spencer is chair of urban warfare studies at the Modern War Institute (MWI) at West Point, codirector of MWI’s Urban Warfare Project and host of the “Urban Warfare Project Podcast.” He served for 25 years as an infantry soldier, which included two combat tours in Iraq. He is the author of the book “Connected Soldiers: Life, Leadership, and Social Connection in Modern War” and co-author of “Understanding Urban Warfare.” The views expressed in this commentary are his own. View more opinion on CNN.
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All war is hell. All war is killing and destruction, and historically civilians are inordinately the innocent victims of wars. Urban warfare is a unique type of hell not just for soldiers, who face assaults from a million windows or deep tunnels below them, but especially for civilians. Noncombatants have accounted for 90% of casualties per international humanitarian experts in the modern wars that have occurred in populated urban areas such as Iraq’s Mosul and Syria’s Raqqa, even when a Western power like the United States is leading or supporting the campaign.
Courtesy of John Spencer
John Spencer
The destruction and suffering, as awful as they are, don’t automatically constitute war crimes – otherwise, nearly any military action in a populated area would violate the laws of armed conflict, rules distilled from a complicated patchwork of international treaties, court rulings and historic conventions. Scenes of devastation, like Israel’s strikes on the Jabalya refugee camp in northern Gaza earlier this week, quickly spark accusations that Israel is engaging in war crimes, such as indiscriminately killing civilians and engaging in revenge attacks. But war crimes must be assessed on evidence and the standards of armed conflict, not a quick glimpse at the harrowing aftermath of an attack.
Hamas forces indisputably violated multiple laws of war on October 7 in taking Israelis hostage and raping, torturing and directly targeting civilians, as well continuing to attack Israeli population centers with rockets. Years of intelligence assessments and media reports have shown that Hamas also commits war crimes by using human shields for its weapons and command centers and by purposely putting military capabilities in protected sites like hospitals, mosques and schools.
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On the other hand, nothing I have seen shows that the Israel Defense Forces are not following the laws of wars in Gaza, particularly when the charges that the IDF is committing war crimes so often come too quickly for there to have been an examination of the factors that determine whether an attack, and the resulting civilian casualties, are lawful. The factors that need to be assessed are the major dimensions of the most commonly agreed to international humanitarian law principles: military necessity, proportionality, distinction, humanity and honor.
President Joe Biden and multiple European countries, including the UK, Germany and France, are supporting Israel’s self-defense even as they express concerns over the humanitarian situation in Gaza. Though Gaza’s legal status is unresolved under international law, Israel needs no permission to enter the territory and resort to using force in order to wage defensive operations because Israel’s right to immediate and unilateral self-defense in accordance with Article 51 of the UN Charter is universally recognized.
Israel has pledged to obey international law, and one of its cornerstones is proportionality. The concept is often misunderstood to allow only for equal numbers of civilian casualties on both sides, with any lopsided numbers considered disproportionate. But proportionality is actually a requirement to take into account how much civilian harm is anticipated in comparison to the expected concrete and direct military advantage, according to UN protocols. In other words, a high civilian death count in Jabalya could potentially be considered legal under international law so long as the military objective is of high value. The Israel Defense Forces said the intended target in this case was the senior Hamas commander who oversaw all military operations in the northern Gaza; neutralizing him is an objective that most likely clears the proportional bar. Furthermore, Israel pointed out that the loss of life was compounded because Hamas had built tunnels that weakened the targeted structure that then collapsed in the strike.
The attack also passes muster on the level of “military necessity,” the principle that the action was necessary to pursue an allowed military goal (killing enemy troops), rather than an illegal goal (causing civilians to suffer). The IDF has said that its aim is to remove the rockets, ammunitions depot, power and transportation systems Hamas has embedded within their civilian population. So far, a number of military experts have assessed that Israel appears to be trying to follow the law of armed conflict in its Gaza campaign.
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The bodies of Palestinians killed during the war are buried in a mass grave on January 30, in Rafah, Gaza.
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Palestinians look at their neighbor's damaged house following an Israeli strike in Rafah, Gaza, on January 27.
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An Israeli tank takes position at the western entrance of the Khan Younis refugee camp in Gaza as Palestinians flee to safer areas further south on January 26.
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Israeli soldiers hold Major Ilay Levy's coffin during his funeral in Tel Aviv, Israel, on January 23. Levy was one of 24 Israeli soldiers killed on the deadliest day for Israeli forces in Gaza combat.
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Displaced Palestinians using eSIM cards attempt to get a signal on January 19, on a hill in Rafah, on the southern Gaza border with Egypt.
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An Israeli tank patrols near the border with Gaza on January 19.
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The father of Masa Shoman carries the body of his daughter, killed during Israeli bombardment, at her funeral in Rafah, Gaza, on January 17.
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Families and supporters of Israeli hostages held by Hamas in Gaza hold signs and photos of their loved ones at a protest calling for their return, outside a meeting between U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Israeli President Isaac Herzog, in Tel Aviv, Israel, on January 9.
Abed Rahim Khatib/picture-alliance/dpa/AP
People inspect the ruins of a civilian car after it was fatally struck by an Israeli drone in Rafah, Gaza, on January 8.
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Soldiers exit a tunnel that Hamas reportedly used during the October 7 attack on Israel, in northern Gaza, on January 7.
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People leave for Rafah in southern Gaza on January 4, after fleeing central Gaza.
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Israeli soldiers carry the flag-draped casket of Staff Sgt. Sufian Dagash during his funeral in the village of Maghar, northern Israel, on January 3.
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Palestinians displaced by Israeli bombardment take shelter in a makeshift tent in Rafah, Gaza on January 1, 2024.
Ariel Schalit/AP
Mourners gather in grief around the grave of Israeli soldier Captain Harel Ittah during his funeral in Netanya, Israel, on December 31.
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A girl mourns the death of her relatives who were killed by Israeli bombardment, at the European Hospital in Khan Yunis in the southern Gaza Strip on December 31.
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The wife of IDF soldier Sergeant Elisha Yehonatan Lober, who was killed in southern Gaza, holds their baby during his funeral at the Mount Herzl military cemetery in Jerusalem on December 27.
Fatima Shbair/AP
A bulldozer unloads the bodies of Palestinians killed in fighting with Israel and turned over by the Israeli military during a mass funeral in Rafah, Gaza, on December 26.
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Mourners collect the bodies of Palestinians killed in an Israeli airstrike in Khan Younis, Gaza, on December 24.
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Palestinians carry a casualty near the site of an Israeli strike in Rafah, Gaza, on December 22.
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Mourners at the grave of Lt. Yaacov Elian mourn during his funeral at Kiryat Shaul cemetery in Tel Aviv, Israel, on December 22.
Fatima Shbair/AP
Palestinians converge for a free meal in Rafah, Gaza, on December 21.
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Family and friends react during the funeral for IDF Staff Sgt. Boris Dunavetski in Tel Aviv, Israel, on December 20.
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A wounded man bids farewell to the body of his son following overnight Israeli bombardments at a hospital in Rafah, Gaza, on December 19.
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A man sits with children by a fire outside one of the tents housing displaced Palestinians, in Rafah, Gaza, on December 18.
Ilia Yefimovich/dpa/picture-alliance/AP
Relatives and friends of Alon Lulu Shamriz, one of the 3 Israeli hostages who were mistakenly killed by friendly fire, mourn during his funeral in Shefayim, Israel, on December 17.
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Relatives and friends bid farewell to the body of Al Jazeera camera operator Samer Abu Daqqa in Khan Younis, Gaza, on December 16. Abu Daqqa died of wounds sustained in an Israeli attack on Khan Younis, the network said on Friday.
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Rockets are fired toward Israel from Gaza, as seen from southern Israel, on December 15.
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Palestinians gather around the destroyed Shehada family home following Israeli bombardment of Rafah, Gaza, on December 14.
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Mother and father of Israeli military commander Major Ben Shelly, who was killed in northern Gaza, embrace each other at his funeral in Kidron, Israel, on December 14.
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A Palestinian woman reacts as she walks past makeshift tents during a rainy day at a UN relief agency logistics base in Rafah, Gaza, on December 13.
Ohad Zwigenberg/AP
Israeli soldiers listen to their commander as they prepare to enter the Gaza Strip, near the Israeli-Gaza border, in southern Israel, on December 13.
Abed Rahim Khatib/picture-alliance/dpa/AP
Palestinians carry an injured woman following an Israeli air strike in Rafah, Gaza, on December 12.
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A soldier reacts during a funeral for IDF Reservist Maj. Eviatar Cohen in Kfar Saba, Israel, on December 12.
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Israeli soldiers take positions in southern Israel near the Gaza border, on December 11.
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Palestinians crowd around a truck that's distributing bottles of water in Rafah, Gaza, on December 11.
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An Israeli howitzer fires into Gaza from a position near Nahal Oz, Israel, on December 10.
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Palestinians mourn relatives killed in the Israeli bombardment of Gaza outside a morgue in Khan Younis on December 10.
Ibraheem Abu Mustafa/Reuters
Palestinian firefighters work to extinguish a fire in a house after an Israeli strike in Khan Younis, Gaza, on December 9.
Atef Safadi/EPA-EFE/Shutterstock
Israeli soldiers patrol a border area with Gaza near Nahal Oz, Israel, on December 9.
Leo Correa/AP
Mourners attend the funeral of Israeli soldier Master Sgt. Gal Meir Eisenkot, 25, who was killed in fighting in Gaza, at the military cemetery in Herzliya, Israel, on December 8. The death of Eisenkot, the son of Israeli government minister Gadi Eisenkot, has resonated across the country and drawn condolences from Israel's top leaders.
Mohammed Dahman/AP
Palestinians carry a dead girl, found under the rubble of a destroyed building following Israeli airstrikes in Khan Younis, in Gaza, on December 7.
Ariel Schalit/AP
Relatives and friends of hostages held in Gaza by the Hamas militant group light torches and march as they call for their release during the Jewish holiday of Hanukkah in the Hostages Square at the Museum of Art in Tel Aviv, Israel, on December 7.
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People search for victims amid the rubble of a smoldering building, following an Israeli strike in Rafah, southern Gaza, on December 6.
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A close-up view of spent bullet casings on the ground near the Gaza border, in southern Israel, on December 6.
Maya Alleruzzo/AP
Security guards and a member of Israeli security forces pass a display of toppled toilets during a press tour of the 06:29 memorial recreating the site of the Nova music festival massacre in Tel Aviv, Israel, on December 6.
Amir Cohen/Reuters
People walk past a building damaged in a rocket attack in Ashkelon, Israel, on December 5.
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A child sleeps in a makeshift shelter in a new camp sheltering displaced Palestinians who fled their houses due to Israeli strikes, in Rafah, southern Gaza, on December 5.
Mohammed Salem/Reuters
A Palestinian girl holds empty bottles as she queues to collect water in Rafah, southern Gaza, on December 5.
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An Israeli artillery unit fires near the border with Gaza on December 5.
Mohammed Salem/Reuters
A Palestinian boy carrying a baby stands at a site of Israeli strikes in Rafah, southern Gaza, on December 4.
Ohad Zwigenberg/AP
An Israeli military helicopter releases flares over the Israel-Gaza border, as seen from southern Israel, on December 4.
Amir Cohen/Reuters
Israeli soldiers sit in a military vehicle near Israel's border with Gaza, in southern Israel, on December 4.
Ibraheem Abu Mustafa/Reuters
Palestinians inspect a house destroyed in an Israeli strike in Khan Younis, southern Gaza, on December 4.
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Israeli military tanks roll near the border with the Gaza on December 3.
Ariel Schalit/AP
Family and friends of Staff Sergeant Aschalwu Sama mourn over his grave during his funeral in Petah Tikva, Israel, on December 3.
Fatima Shbair/AP
Palestinians carry belongings as they flee their homes on December 2, in Khan Younis, Gaza.
Ibraheem Abu Mustafa/Reuters
Palestinians hold empty containers to receive food in Rafah, Gaza, on December 2.
Tsafrir Abayov/AP
The Iron Dome air defense system intercepts a rocket fired from Gaza over Ashkelon, Israel, on December 1.
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Smoke rises from buildings in Gaza after being hit by Israeli strikes as attacks resume between Israel and Hamas militants, on December 1.
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Palestinian activist Ahed Tamimi, walks with her mother after she was released from prison by Israel, in Ramallah in the Israeli-occupied West Bank, on early November 30.
Ariel Schalit/AP
Viktor and Helena Brodski mourn during a memorial service for their son, Sgt. Kiril Brodski at the Kiryat Shaul military cemetery in Tel Aviv, Israel, on November 29.
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People walk through the debris of a mosque, as a temporary truce between Israel and Hamas took effect, in Khan Younis, Gaza, on November 29.
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Hamas and Islamic Jihad fighters stand guard as Red Cross vehicles transport released hostages towards the Rafah border crossing with Egypt, in southern Gaza, on November 28.
Ammar Awad/Reuters
A Palestinian prisoner reacts after being released during the truce amid between Hamas and Israel, in Ramallah in the Israeli-occupied West Bank, on November 28.
Ariel Schalit/AP
Protesters release balloons as they call for the release of the Bibas family, whose members are being held hostage in Gaza by Hamas, in Tel Aviv, Israel, on November 28.
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An Israeli helicopter transporting hostages released by Hamas prepares to land at the Tel Aviv Sourasky Medical Center in Tel Aviv, Israel on November 28.
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A displaced Palestinian man sits by tents sheltering people near the border between Israel and southern Gaza, in Khan Younis on November 27.
Tsafrir Abayov/AP
People welcome a convoy carrying newly released hostages in Ofakim, Israel, on Sunday, November 26.
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Young boys look at aid trucks entering Gaza on November 26.
Mahmoud Illean/AP
Israa Jaabis, left, a Palestinian prisoner released by Israel, is hugged as she arrives home in the East Jerusalem neighborhood of Jabel Mukaber early November 26.
Fatima Shbair/AP
A Red Cross vehicle carrying Israeli hostages enters the Rafah border crossing late Saturday, November 25.
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People await news of hostages expected to be released by Hamas in Tel Aviv, Israel, on November 25.
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Palestinians queue in front of a gas station in Khan, Younis, Gaza, to fill their kitchen cylinders after the arrival of trucks carrying aid on November 25.
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A Palestinian woman sits on debris in her damaged apartment in the Khezaa district on the outskirts of the southern Gazan city of Khan Younis on November 25.
Schneider Children's Medical Center via AP
Members of the Asher family embrace each at Schneider Children's Medical Center in Petah Tikva, Israel on Friday, November 24. Sisters Aviv and Raz and their mother, Doron, were released on the first day of the truce between Israel and Hamas.
Ohad Zwigenberg/AP
A helicopter carrying hostages released by Hamas lands at Schneider Children's Medical Center in Petah Tikva, Israel, on November 24.
Ariel Schalit/AP
People in Tel Aviv, Israel, react as they hear the news of the release of 13 Israeli hostages held by Hamas on November 24.
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Fireworks streak across the sky as Palestinian prisoners who were released from the Israeli Ofer military facility are paraded in Beitunia, in the occupied West Bank, on November 24.
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International Red Cross vehicles transport freed hostages through the Rafah border crossing in Gaza on November 24. Twenty-four people held hostage for nearly seven weeks in the Gaza Strip were released Friday as part of a truce brokered between Israel and Hamas, according to officials. The group included 10 Thai citizens, 13 Israelis and one Philippine citizen, according to Qatar's Foreign Ministry spokesperson Majed Al-Ansari.
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Palestinians walk through destruction in Gaza City on November 24 as a temporary truce between Israel and Hamas took effect.
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A Palestinian medic and civilians carry an injured man after an Israeli strike on Rafah, Gaza, on Thursday, November 23.
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Artillery shells are lined up at a position in the Upper Galilee, northern Israel, bordering southern Lebanon on Wednesday, November 22.
Victor R. Caivano/AP
Ambulances are seen on a road near an Israeli forces tank in Gaza on November 22.
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Soldiers react during the funeral of Captain Liron Snir, 25, at the Mount Herzl military cemetery in Jerusalem, on November 22.
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Smoke billows after an Israeli strike as flares are dropped over northern Gaza on November 22.
Ariel Schalit/AP
Families and friends of hostages held in Gaza call for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to bring them home, during a demonstration in Tel Aviv on Tuesday, November 21.
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Internally displaced Palestinians who fled northern Gaza sit in a makeshift shelter at a school in Khan Younis, southern Gaza, on November 21.
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Injured Palestinians, including children, are taken to Al-Aqsa Martyrs Hospital for treatment after Israeli attacks hit the school at Al Bureij Refugee Camp in Deir Al Balah, Gaza, on Monday, November 20.
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People hold portraits of children held hostage by Hamas as protesters rally outside the Unicef offices in Tel Aviv, Israel, on November 20.
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A Palestinian woman cries in anguish following Israeli strikes on Rafah, Gaza, on November 20.
Ohad Zwigenberg/AP
Israeli soldiers work on armored military vehicles along Israel's southern border with the Gaza Strip, on November 20.
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Palestinians clutching empty containers wait for food relief in Rafah, Gaza, on Sunday, November 19.
Shir Torem/Reuters
Israeli soldiers carry the casket of Major Jamal Abbas, an Israeli soldier from Israel's Druze minority who was killed in Gaza amid Israel's ongoing ground operation, at his funeral in Pekiin, Israel, on November 19.
Fatima Shbair/AP
A UN-provided tent camp for Palestinians displaced by the Israeli bombardment of the Gaza in Khan Younis, Gaza, on November 19.
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Foreign journalists get off a bus and take cover on the side of a road in Mavki'im, Israel, after a siren warns of a rocket fired from Gaza on November 19.
Abed Rahim Khatib/dpa/AP
Premature newborns receive treatment after being transferred from Al-Shifa hospital to Al-Emarati hospital in Rafah, Gaza, on November 19.
Fatima Shbair/AP
Palestinians look at destruction after an Israeli strike in Khan Younis, Gaza, on Saturday, November 18.
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Tens of thousands of people led by the families of Hamas' hostages walk along Route 1 to enter Jerusalem on the fifth and final day of the March for the Hostages on November 18.
Hatem Ali/AP
Palestinians look for survivors after an Israeli strike on Rafah, Gaza, on Friday, November 17.
Shir Torem/Reuters
Israeli military members react during the funeral of Israeli soldier Avraham Fetena in Haifa, Israel, on November 17.
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Damaged buildings in Gaza seen from Sderot, Israel, on Thursday, November 16.
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Families of hostages march from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem on November 16, in Beit Hashmonai, Israel.
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A Palestinian child looks through a broken window of a destroyed building, in Rafah, Gaza, on Wednesday, November 15.
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An Israeli army armored fighting vehicle returns to a staging area from the border with Gaza on November 15, in southern Israel.
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People mourn as they stand behind a metal fence before the burial of victims killed in an Israeli bombardment in Khan Younis, Gaza, on Tuesday, November 14.
Ariel Schalit/AP
Israeli soldiers form an honor guard at the funeral of Israeli reserve soldier Master Sgt. Raz Abulafia in Rishpon, Israel, on November 14.
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Journalists report from a vantage point overlooking northern Gaza in Sderot, Israel, on Monday, November 13.
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Palestinians line up for food in Rafah, Gaza, on November 13.
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Men walk along the border of Gaza in southern Israel on November 13.
Mohammed Salem/Reuters
A Palestinian child cries next to his mother after they were rushed to Nasser hospital, following an Israeli strike, in Khan Younis, Gaza, on November 13.
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Family and friends attends the funeral of Israeli soldier Matan Meir on November 13 in Odem, Israel.
Israel Defense Forces/Handout/Reuters
An Israeli soldier fires his weapon in Gaza on November 13.
Reuters
Newborns are placed in a bed after being taken off incubators in Gaza's Al-Shifa hospital after power outage in Gaza City on Sunday, November 12.
Haitham Imad/EPA-EFE/Shutterstock
Palestinians search for bodies and survivors among the rubble of a residential building following an Israeli strike in Khan Younis, Gaza, on November 12.
Ariel Schalit/AP
Mourners attend the funeral of Sgt. Roni Eshel in Kfar Saba, Israel, on November 12. Eshel was killed during Hamas' attack on October 7.
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This picture taken from the Israeli side of the border with the Gaza Strip early on November 12, shows flares being fired by Israeli troops over the Gaza Strip.
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On day 35 of hostages being detained by Hamas, a woman holds the image of a hostage while sitting amongst thousands of people and families of kidnapped people taking part in a protest to demand that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu secures the release of Israeli hostages, on Saturday, November 11, in Tel Aviv, Israel.
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Images of people's eyes adorn chairs, one for each of the 240 Israelis held hostage by Hamas in Gaza, which are placed outside The Museum of Modern Art known as the 'The Hostages and Missing Square' on November 11, in Tel Aviv, Israel.
Israel Defense Forces/Handout/Reuters
Israeli soldiers and military vehicles take a position inside Gaza in this Israel Defense Forces (IDF) handout picture obtained by Reuters, on November 11.
Fatima Shbair/AP
Palestinians mourn relatives killed in Israeli bombardment at a hospital in Khan Younis, Gaza, on November 11.
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Cemetery attendant Sadi Berek, 63, works to maintain graves of children who were killed in the aftermath of Israeli attacks in Deir Al-Balah, Gaza, on Friday, November 10.
Fatima Shbair/AP
Palestinians flee to southern Gaza on Salah al-Din Street in Bureij, Gaza, on November 10.
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An Israeli tank rolls near Sderot, Israel, along the border with Gaza, on November 10.
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Varda Goldstein enters her house for the first time after it was burned in the October 7 Hamas attack in Kfar Aza, Israel, on November 10.
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A fireball erupts during Israeli bombardment of Gaza, as seen from Israel, on Thursday, November 9.
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On November 9, an IDF soldier from the Israeli Military Rabbinate looks for items that may help identify people killed at Kibbutz Nir Oz, Israel, in the October 7 attacks.
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A Palestinian nurse at Nasser Hospital in Khan Younis, Gaza mourns after receiving news that his brother has died.
Tomer Appelbaum/Reuters
People look at an installation called "Empty Beds" on November 9 in Tel Aviv, where beds represent around 240 hostages seized in the attack by Hamas gunmen.
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A Palestinian woman inspects the bodies of victims outside Gaza City's Al-Shifa hospital who were killed in Israeli bombardment, on November 8.
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Palestinians inspect debris at the Khaled Ibn Al-Walid mosque after it was hit by an Israeli bombardment in Khan Younis, on November 8.
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Family and friends attend the funeral of fallen Israeli soldier, Ya'akov Ozeri, in Meron, Israel on November 8.
Ronen Zvulun/Reuters
An Israeli soldier in northern Gaza on November 8.
Mohammed Dahman/AP
A woman carries a white flag as Palestinians flee from Gaza City to the south on November 7.
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In Tel Aviv on November 7, people hold photos of people who were kidnapped by Hamas and taken to Gaza.
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A Palestinian child receives treatment at Nasser Medical Hospital after a strike in Khan Younis, Gaza, on November 7.
Ariel Schalit/AP
A woman in Tel Aviv writes on a photo of people kidnapped during the October 7 Hamas attack in Israel.
Ronen Zvulun/Reuters
People hold Israeli flags in Jerusalem on November 7, one month after Hamas's attacks in Israel.
Abed Rahim Khatib/picture-alliance/dpa/AP
People mourn as they wait for the bodies of members of a family killed in a strike to be removed from Rafah's al-Najjar Hospital for burial on November 7.
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A Palestinian man reacts as others check the rubble of a building in Khan Younis, Gaza, on November 6.
Leo Correa/AP
Photographs of Israeli hostages being held by Hamas militants are projected onto the walls of Jerusalem's Old City on November 6.
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A Palestinian family sits near destroyed houses following a strike in Rafah, southern Gaza, on November 6.
Amir Cohen/Reuters
A soldier takes cover as an artillery unit fires from an undisclosed location near the Israel-Gaza border on November 6.
Leo Correa/AP
A woman looks for names on a memorial wall in Jerusalem's Old City on November 6 that lists the 1,400 people killed in the October 7 attack by Hamas militants on Israel.
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At the Shuhada Al-Aqsa hospital on November 6, a man walks between the shrouded bodies of people killed in the Israeli bombardment in Deir Balah, central Gaza.
Majdi Fathi/NurPhoto/AP
A family member reacts as Palestinian cameraman Mohammed Alaloul (bottom) covers the body of a relative killed in an Israeli strike, in Gaza on Sunday, November 5.
Israel Defense Forces/Reuters
Soldiers are seen walking at a location given as Gaza, in this screengrab obtained from an Israel Defence Forces handout video released on November 5.
Fatima Shbair/AP
Palestinians look for survivors following an Israeli bombardment in the Al-Maghazi refugee camp, Gaza, on November 5.
Alexi J. Rosenfeld/Getty Images
Soldiers from the IDF's coed infantry battalion 'Bardelas' guard an Israeli community in Southern Israel on November 5.
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Teams put out a fire that broke out among the rubble of a destroyed building during search and rescue operations after an Israeli attack in Khan Younis, Gaza, on Saturday, November 4.
Neil Hall/EPA-EFE/Shutterstock
Protesters call for the release of hostages kidnapped by Hamas during a demonstration near HaKirya base in Tel Aviv, Israel, on November 4.
Amir Cohen/Reuters
Rockets are launched from Gaza into Israel, as seen from Ashkelon, in southern Israel, on November 4.
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United Nations workers in the Nuseirat refugee camp in central Gaza prepare aid for distribution to Palestinians, who have fled their homes and are sheltering in a UN-run school, on November 4.
Saeed Jaras/APAImages/Shutterstock
Blood is splattered on the side of an ambulance after an Israeli airstrike outside Al-Shifa Hospital in Gaza City on Friday, November 3.
Mahmud Hams/AFP/Getty Images
A relative bids farewell during the funerals of Palestine TV journalist Mohammad Abu Hattab and his eleven family members the day after they were killed in Khan Younis, Gaza on November 3.
Mohammed Talatene/picture-alliance/dpa/AP
Palestinians search for survivors following an Israeli air strike in Khan Younis, Gaza on November 3.
Shir Torem/Reuters
Neta Heiman, a peace activist, holds a photograph of her mother, Ditza Heiman, who is being held hostage by Hamas, in Haifa, Israel on Thursday, November 2.
Ariel Schalit/AP
Mourners gather around the coffin of Druze Israeli Lieutenant colonel Salman Habaka in the village of Yanuh Jat, northern Israel, on November 3
Ibraheem Abu Mustafa/Reuters
Children wait for the return of Palestinian workers from Israel at the Rafah border in southern Gaza, on November 3.
Alexi J. Rosenfeld/Getty Images
Family and friends grieve for Capt. (Res.) Yuval Zilber at the Netaim Cemetery in Netaim, Israel, on November 3.
Ronen Zvulun/Reuters
Pictures of Israeli hostages kidnapped by Hamas are displayed with balloons as part of an installation in Jerusalem on November 2.
Hatem Ali/AP
Palestinians take humanitarian aid from a truck near the Rafah border crossing in Gaza on November 2.
Jalaa Merey/AFP/Getty Images
An Israeli artillery unit fires during a military drill in Golan Heights, Israel near the border with Lebanon on November 2.
Ahmad Salem/Bloomberg/Getty Images
Palestinians with dual citizenship show their passports while seeking permission to leave Gaza at the Rafah border crossing into Egypt, on November 1.
Ali Jadallah/Anadolu/Getty Images
A man sits on debris as Palestinians conduct a search and rescue operation after the second bombardment to the Jabalya refugee camp in Gaza City, on Wednesday, November 1.
Atef Safadi/EPA-EFE/Shutterstock
An Israeli Apache helicopter fires flares over Gaza, seen from Sderot, Israel, on November 1.
Abed Zagout/Anadolu/Getty Images
Palestinian families take shelter in the United Nations Relief and Works Agency refugee camp in Khan Younis, Gaza, on November 1.
Fadel Senna/AFP/Getty Images
Relatives react during the funeral of an Israeli soldier in Jerusalem, on November 1.
Hatem Ali/AP
Palestinians move through the Rafah border crossing between Gaza and Egypt, on November 1. Injured Palestinians and foreign nationals from Gaza have started crossing the border into Egypt, officials and Egyptian media said, in the first sanctioned exodus from the besieged enclave in weeks.
Anas al-Shareef/Reuters
Palestinians search for casualties at the site of Israeli strikes on Jabalya refugee camp in northern Gaza on October 31.
Ronen Zvulun/Reuters
Friends and family mourn Yosef Vahav, 65, who was killed following Hamas' infiltration from Gaza, at his funeral in Beit Guvrin, Israel on Tuesday, October 31.
Jalaa Marey/AFP/Getty Images
Israeli army vehicles move along a road near the northern town of Kiryat Shmona close to the border with Lebanon on October 31.
Mustafa Hassona/Anadolu/Getty Images
Relatives mourn as bodies are carried for burial from Al Aqsa Martyrs Hospital in Deir Al-Balah, Gaza, on October 31.
Bernat Armangue/AP
Relatives attend the funeral of Albert Miles, 81, at the Kibbutz Revivim cemetery, south Israel, on October 30. Albert Miles was killed during the Hamas attack on October 7, in Kibbutz Be'eri near the border with Gaza.
Abed Rahim Khatib/dpa/AP
A Palestinian man holds his wounded child as they receive medical attention at Al-Najjar Hospital following an Israeli airstrike on Rafah in southern Gaza on October 30.
Ilan Rosenberg/Reuters
Vehicles destroyed by Hamas during the October 7 attack on Israel are seen collected in a field near the Israel's border with Gaza on October 30.
IDF/EyePress News/Shutterstock
A photo released by the IDF shows its forces continue to expand ground operations in Gaza on October 30.
Fatima Shbair/AP
Palestinians mourn relatives killed in the Israeli airstrikes in Rafah on October 30.
Ashraf Amra/Anadolu/Getty Images
A man holds wounded children near livestock animals amid heavily damaged buildings, following Israeli attacks at Nuseirat Refugee Camp in Gaza City, on Sunday, October 29.
Ronen Zvulun/Reuters
Manna mourns her daughter Tamar Chaya Torpiashvili, a 9-year-old girl who died days after experiencing a cardiac attack during a siren warning of incoming rockets being fired from Gaza into Israel, at her funeral in Ashdod, southern Israel, on October 29.
Mohammed Abed/AFP/Getty Images
An injured man is covered in dust in the aftermath of Israeli bombing in Rafah, southern Gaza, on October 29.
Abed Khaled/AP
Smoke and explosions are seen on the horizon in northern Gaza, amid Israel's bombardment of the enclave, on Saturday, October 28.
Tamir Kalifa/The New York Times/Redux
Israeli armored vehicles on the move near the border with Gaza, in Sderot, Israel on the morning of October 28.
Mohammed Abed/AFP/Getty Images
Palestinian children sit in a vehicle loaded with household items in Khan Younis refugee camp, in Khan Younis, southern Gaza, on October 28.
Mohammed Abed/AFP/Getty Images
People check the destruction following Israeli strikes on Al-Shatee camp in Gaza City on October 28.
Ammar Awad/Getty Images
A man writes a message during a demonstration by family members and supporters of hostages who are being held in Gaza after they were kidnapped from Israel by Hamas gunmen, as they call for a dialogue with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defense Minister Yoav Gallant, in Tel Aviv, Israel on October 28.
Anas al-Shareef/Reuters
Palestinian lawyer Jehad Al-Kafarnah, whose pregnant wife and unborn child were killed in an Israeli strike, according to health officials, mourns over her shrouded body at a hospital in northern Gaza on Friday, October 27.
Dan Kitwood/Getty Images
Teddy bears with their eyes covered and showing signs of injury are displayed to highlight the young children and babies currently missing, believed to be being held hostage by Hamas, on October 27 in Tel Aviv, Israel.
Dima Vazinovich/Middle East Images/AFP/Getty Images
Israeli firefighters and rescue teams assess destruction after a rocket attack in Tel Aviv, Israel, on October 27.
Ahmad Hasaballah/Getty Images
A Palestinian man injured in an Israeli airstrike is carried on a stretcher at Nasser Medical Hospital, in Khan Younis, Gaza, on October 27.
Jack Guez/AFP/Getty Images
An Israeli air force F-15 tactical fighter jet flies along the border with Gaza near Sderot, Israel, on October 27.
Evelyn Hockstein/Reuters
People take cover as rocket sirens sound during the funeral of Sagiv Ben Zvi in Holon, Israel, on Thursday, October 26.
Omar El-Qattaa/AFP/Getty Images
Smoke and fire rise from a leveled building after an Israeli strike on Gaza on October 26.
Mohammed Salem/Reuters
A woman looks from behind a gate at the bodies of Palestinians killed by Israeli strikes at a hospital in Khan Younis, Gaza, on October 26.
Amir Levy/Getty Images
Relatives of hostages held in Gaza demonstrate in Tel Aviv, Israel, on October 26.
Yasser Qudih/Reuters
A Palestinian child is assisted as people search for casualties at the site of an Israeli strike on a residential building in Gaza City on Wednesday, October 25.
Tsafrir Abayov/AP
An Israeli mobile artillery unit fires a shell from southern Israel towards Gaza on October 25.
Francisco Seco/AP
A woman with a photograph of a child who was abducted during the Hamas attack on Israel hands out yellow ribbons to passing drivers in central Tel Aviv, Israel, on October 25.
Mohammed Abed/AFP/Getty Images
Palestinians mourn their loved ones killed in an Israeli strike, outside Najjar hospital in Rafah, Gaza, on October 24.
Alexi J. Rosenfeld/Getty Images
Yocheved Lifshitz speaks to the media after she was released by Hamas, outside Ichilov Hospital in Tel Aviv, Israel, on October 24.
Mohammed Saber/EPA-EFE/Shutterstock
Al Shifa hospital is lit up in Gaza City on October 24.
Ali Mohmoud/AP
Rescuers assist a survivor of an Israeli bombardment in Nusseirat refugee camp, Gaza, on Tuesday, October 24.
Mohammed Abed/AFP/Getty Images
Palestinians look for survivors in the rubble after Israeli strikes in Rafah in southern Gaza on October 23.
Mai Yaghi/AFP/Getty Images
A baby receives care inside an incubator at a hospital in Rafah, Gaza, on Monday, October 23.
Ariel Schalit/AP
Mourners hold hands during the funeral of Sgt. Yam Goldstein and her father, Nadav, in Kibbutz Shefayim, Israel, on October 23.
Ariel Schalit/AP
Israeli soldiers cry during the funeral of Sgt. Yam Goldstein and her father, Nadav, in Kibbutz Shefayim, Israel, on October 23.
Jalaa Marey/AFP/Getty Images
An Israeli soldier stands in an armored vehicle near the Lebanon border on October 23.
Samar Abu Elouf/The New York Times/Redux
Khaled Joudeh mourns his young sister, Misq, at the morgue at Deir Al-Balah hospital in Gaza on October 22.
Leon Neal/Getty Images
Pictures of over 1,000 people abducted, missing or killed in the Hamas attack are displayed on empty seats in the Smolarz Auditorium at Tel Aviv University in Tel Aviv, Israel, on October 22.
Hatem Moussa/AP
Palestinians look for survivors after an Israeli airstrike in Deir al-Balah, Gaza, on October 22.
Wolfgang Schwan/Anadolu/Getty Images
Relatives mourn for a man killed by Hamas during his funeral in Nir Oz, Israel, on October 22.
Yousef Masoud/The New York Times/Redux
Injured civilians are recovered from the rubble of a destroyed house following Israeli air strikes near a UNRWA school housing displaced people in Khan Younis, Gaza, on Saturday, October 21.
Francisco Seco/AP
A photo hangs on a refrigerator dotted with bullet holes in a home in Kibbutz Kissufim, Israel, on October 21.
Shadi Tabatibi/Reuters
An aerial view of residential buildings destroyed in Israeli airstrikes in Zahra City, Gaza, on October 21.
Ali Jadallah/Anadolu/Getty Images.
Relatives mourn for a family killed in an Israeli airstrike in Gaza City on October 21.
Belal al Sabbagh/AFP/Getty Images
Trucks carrying humanitarian aid enter Gaza from Egypt at the Rafah border crossing on October 21.
Alexi J. Rosenfeld/Getty Images Europe/Getty Images
Relatives of hostages speak to the media during the "Lighting up the Light" campaign for the return of those held captive, in Tel Aviv, Israel, on October 21.
Mohammed Saber/EPA-EFE/Shutterstock
Palestinians inspect a destroyed area following an Israeli airstrike in Gaza on October 21.
Rizek Abdeljawad/Xinhua/Redux
Children use candles for lighting in Khan Younis, Gaza, on Friday, October 20.
Ahmad Gharabli/AFP/Getty Images
Muslim Palestinians take part in Friday noon prayers as Israeli police look on in the East Jerusalem neighborhood of Ras al-Amud, on October 20.
Janis Laizans/Reuters
Women grieve at an event for the families of Israelis who are missing or being held hostage in Tel Aviv, Israel, on October 20.
Ali Jadallah/Anadolu/Getty Images
Civil defense teams and residents continue search and rescue efforts at a Greek Orthodox church after an Israeli airstrike in Gaza City on October 20.
Abed Khaled/AP
A Palestinian woman mourns over the bodies of her relatives who were killed an Israeli airstrike that hit a Greek Orthodox church in Gaza City on October 20.
Mohammed Dahman/AP
Rockets are fired from Gaza toward Israel on Thursday, October 19.
Ronen Zvulun/Reuters
Israel's Defense Minister Yoav Gallant meets soldiers in a field near Israel's border with Gaza on October 19. Gallant told the soldiers, "You see Gaza now from a distance, you will soon see it from inside."
Ronen Zvulun/Reuters
Friends and relatives of Ofir Libstein, who served as head of the Sha'ar HaNegev Regional Council and died during the Kibbutz Kfar Aza attack, mourn at his funeral in Even Yehuda, Israel, on Wednesday, October 18.
Belal Khaled/Anadolu/Getty Images
A woman mourns over a dead man at the Al-Aqsa Martyrs Hospital in Gaza City on October 18.
Abed Rahim Khatib/picture-alliance/dpa/AP
A Palestinian man inspects a destroyed house belonging to the Al-Jazzar family after an airstrike in Rafah, Gaza, on October 18.
Leon Neal/Getty Images
Photographs of people taken hostage by Hamas are seen in Tel Aviv on October 18.
Alexi J. Rosenfeld/Getty Images
People mourn a family during a funeral in Hod HaSharon, Israel, on October 18.
Ayal Margolin/EPA-EFE/Shutterstock
Israeli security inspects debris from a rocket in Kiryat Shmona, Israel, on October 18.
Brendan Smialowski/AFP/Getty Images
From left, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken and US President Joe Biden join Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and other Israeli officials as they wait for the start of the Israeli war cabinet meeting in Tel Aviv on October 18.
Ali Jadallah/Anadolu/Getty Images
A view shows the aftermath of a deadly blast that struck Al-Ahli Baptist Hospital in Gaza City on October 18. Palestinian officials blamed ongoing Israeli airstrikes for the incident, while a spokesperson for the Israel Defense Forces said a Palestinian Islamic Jihad group is responsible for a "failed rocket launch" that hit the hospital.
Kenny Holston/The New York Times/Redux
President Biden is greeted by Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu after arriving at Ben Gurion International Airport in Tel Aviv on October 18.
Abed Khaled/AP
Wounded Palestinians sit on the floor at the Al-Shifa Hospital after being transported from the Al-Ahli Baptist Hospital following a blast there on Tuesday, October 17.
Abed Khaled/AP
Bodies of Palestinians killed in the blast at the Al-Ahli Baptist Hospital lie in front of the Al-Shifa Hospital in Gaza City on October 17.
Ariel Schalit/AP
Israeli security forces inspect a damaged residential building after it was hit by a rocket fired from Gaza in Sderot, Israel on October 17.
Mohammed Abed/AFP/Getty Images
A bakery prepares rations of bread to pass out to displaced Palestinians in the Rafah refugee camp, in southern Gaza, on October 17.
Ilia Yefimovich/dpa/picture-alliance/AP
People lay wreaths during a funeral for the Israeli Kutz family in Gan-Yavne, Israel on October 17. The family of five were murdered in their home by Palestinian militants who infiltrated the Israeli Kibbutz of Kfar Aza last week.
Mustafa Hassona/Anadolu/Getty Images
Civil defense members and residents conduct search and rescue operations amid destroyed buildings after an Israeli attack in Khan Younis, Gaza, on Tuesday, October 17,
Mahmoud Khaled/Getty Images
Aid supplies are seen in North Sinai, Egypt on October 16.
Samar Abu Elouf/The New York Times/Redux
Street vendors work on a darkened street without power in Khan Younis, Gaza, on October 16.
Fatima Shbair/AP
Palestinians wait to cross into Egypt at the Rafah border crossing in Gaza on October 16.
Violeta Santos Moura/Reuters
People hold Israeli flags as friends and family mourn Dor Reder at his funeral in Beit Kama, southern Israel, on October 16.
Fatima Shbair/AP
Palestinians carry a person wounded in Israeli airstrikes in Khan Younis, Gaza, on Monday, October 16.
Shir Torem/Reuters
People prepare to board a ship that will transport US nationals and their immediate family members from Haifa, Israel, to Cyprus on October 16.
Mohammed Fayq Abu Mostafa/Reuters
The remains of a Palestinian house destroyed in Israeli strikes in central Gaza on October 15.
Aris Messinis/AFP/Getty Images
Israeli army soldiers patrol at an undisclosed position in northern Israel near the border with Lebanon on October 15.
Mohammed Abed/AFP/Getty Images
People carry children as they flee following an Israeli strike on Rafah in southern Gaza on Sunday, October 15.
Francisco Seco/AP
Antonio Macías' mother cries over her son's body at Pardes Haim cemetery in Kfar Saba, Israel, on October 15. Macías was killed by Hamas at an Israeli music festival earlier this month.
Fatima Shbair/AP
Palestinians collect water from a tap on October 15 after Israel blocked supplies of electricity, food, water and fuel to Gaza.
Aris Messinis/AFP/Getty Images
Israeli army Puma armored personnel carriers move in a column near the Gaza border in southern Israel on October 14.
Mohammed Saber/EPA-EFE/Shutterstock
People react at the site of an Israeli airstrike in Al-Shati refugee camp in Gaza City on Saturday, October 14.
Francisco Seco/AP
Eli Albag cries over the photograph of his daughter Liri, as he gathers with others during a protest demanding the release of more than 100 Israelis who were abducted during last week's Hamas attack, in Tel Aviv, Israel, on October 14.
Mohammed Talatene/dpa/picture alliance/Getty Images
Leaflets dropped from Israeli army planes fall over Gaza City on Friday, October 13.
Sergey Ponomarev/The New York Times/Redux
An Israeli soldier looks inside a house that was overrun by Hamas militants in Be'eri, Israel, on October 13.
Hatem Ali/AP
Palestinians rescue a wounded man from the rubble of a destroyed building following an Israeli airstrike in Rafah, Gaza, on October 13.
Violeta Santos Moura/Reuters
Israeli artillery fires on the Israel-Gaza border on October 13.
Dor Kedmi/AP
Israelis take cover after hearing warning sirens of incoming rockets fired from Gaza in Rehovot, Israel, on October 13.
Abed Zagout/Anadolu/Getty Images
On October 13, doctors at Nasser Hospital in Khan Younis, Gaza, examine children injured in Israeli attacks.
Saher Alghorra/Middle East Images/AFP/Getty Images
A Palestinian child is injured during bombing in Gaza on October 13.
Hatem Moussa/AP
Palestinians flee from northern Gaza to the south after the Israeli army issued an evacuation warning to seek refuge in the south, on October 13.
Francisco Seco/AP
Mourners attend the funeral of Israeli soldier Abraham Cohen at the Mount Herzl cemetery in Jerusalem on Thursday, October 12.
Aris Messinis/AFP/Getty Images
Israeli soldiers patrol near Kibbutz Be'eri, Israel, on October 12.
Alexi J. Rosenfeld/Getty Images
Family members of Valentin Ghnassia react during his funeral ceremony at the Mount Herzl Military Cemetery in Jerusalem on October 12. Ghnassia was killed in a battle with Hamas militants in Be'eri, Israel.
Aris Messinis/AFP/Getty Images
An Israeli soldier patrols near the Nova music festival grounds near Be'eri, Israel, on October 12.
Yuri Cortez/AFP/Getty Images
An Israeli military helicopter flies near the border between Gaza and Sderot, Israel, on October 12.
Yousef Masoud/The New York Times
Palestinians seek shelter in Khan Younis, Gaza, after a house next door was hit by an Israeli airstrike on October 12.
Mahmud Hams/AFP/Getty Images
A morgue worker arranges body bags at al-Shifa hospital in Gaza City on October 12.
Ibrahim Hams/AFP/Getty Images
Smoke plumes billow during Israeli air strikes in Gaza City on October 12.
Bashar Taleb/AFP/Getty Images
A Palestinian woman covered in dust and dirt carries a child in Gaza City on October 12.
Baz Ratner/AP
An Israeli soldier walks by a house destroyed by Hamas militants in Kibbutz Be'eri on Wednesday, October 11.
Jack Guez/AFP/Getty Images
An Israeli army self-propelled howitzer fires rounds near the border with Gaza in southern Israel on October 11.
Abed Rahim Khatib/Picture-Alliance/Getty Images
People carry bodies of Palestinians killed during an Israeli airstrike prior to their burial in Khan Younis, Gaza, on October 11.
Yahya Hassouna/AFP/Getty Images
An aerial view of buildings destroyed by Israeli airstrikes at the Jabalia refugee camp in Gaza City on October 11.
Francisco Seco/AP
Mourners react beside the body of Mapal Adam during her funeral in Tel Aviv, Israel, on October 11.
Abed Zagout/Anadolu Agency/Getty Images
Palestinians run from Israeli airstrikes in Khan Younis, Gaza, on October 11.
Tamir Kalifa/The New York Times/Redux
Israeli soldiers load donated food into the back of a military vehicle in Sderot, Israel, on October 11.
Baz Ratner/AP
Bullet holes are seen in a cracked window at the entrance of a kindergarten in Be'eri, Israel, on October 11. The self-sustaining farming community near Gaza was one of the first places targeted by Hamas militants on October 7.
Ibraheem Abu Mustafa/Reuters
A mourner reacts while burying a child from the al-Agha family, who were killed in Israeli strikes in Khan Younis, Gaza, on October 11.
Maya Alleruzzo/AP
Itzik and Miriam Shafir, center, mourn during their son's funeral at a cemetery in Modiin Maccabim, Israel, on October 11. Their son, Dor Shafir, and his girlfriend, Savion Kiper, were killed during Hamas' attack on a music festival on Saturday.
Yousef Masoud/The New York Times/Redux
A boy carries salvaged belongings from the wreckage of his family's home in Khan Younis, Gaza, on October 11.
Mohammed Salem/Reuters
Smoke rises after Israeli strikes on the seaport of Gaza City on Tuesday, October 10.
Sergey Ponomarev/The New York Times/Redux
Israeli soldiers carry a body on October 10 in Kfar Aza, a village in Israel just across the border from Gaza. Hamas militants carried out a "massacre" in Kfar Aza during their attacks over the weekend, the Israel Defense Forces told CNN.
Mohammed Abed/AFP/Getty Images
Palestinians mourn during the funeral of a relative killed in an Israeli strike, in Gaza City on October 10.
Violeta Santos Moura/Reuters
People mourn at the grave of Eden Guez during her funeral in Ashkelon, Israel, on October 10. She was killed as she attended a music festival that was attacked by terrorists from Gaza. Israeli officials counted at least 260 bodies at the Nova Festival.
Atef Safadi/EPA-EFE/Shutterstock
Israeli soldiers take position in Kfar Aza near the border with Gaza on October 10.
Fatima Shbair/AP
Palestinians rescue a young girl from the rubble of a destroyed residential building following an Israeli airstrike on October 10.
Tamir Kalifa/The New York Times/Redux
Stranded travelers wait to be booked on a flight at Ben Gurion International Airport outside Tel Aviv on October 10.
Fatima Shbair/AP
Palestinians walk amid the rubble following Israeli airstrikes in Gaza City on October 10.
Ohad Zwigenberg/AP
Israelis in Ashkelon take cover in a shelter as a siren sounds a warning of incoming rockets on October 10.
Fatima Shbair/AP
People gather around the bodies of two Palestinian reporters, Mohammed Soboh and Said al-Tawil, who were killed by an Israeli airstrike in Gaza City on October 10.
Yuri Cortez/AFP/Getty Images
Israelis mourn as they attend the funeral of Israel Defense Forces soldier Noam Elimeleh Rothenberg at Mount Herzel Cemetery in Jerusalem, on October 10.
Belal Khaled/Anadolu Agency/Getty Images
A Palestinian man reacts as he carries the body of his cousin who was pulled from the rubble after Israeli airstrikes in Gaza City on Monday, October 9.
Samar Abu Elouf/The New York Times/Redux
A family takes shelter at a neighbor's house after their home was damaged in an Israeli airstrike in the Shati refugee camp in Gaza on October 9.
Samar Abu Elouf/The New York Times/Redux
Children run for cover as bombs fall near the Al-Shifa Hospital in Gaza City on October 9.
Amir Cohen/Reuters
A photo from a wedding is seen on the ground of a building in Ashkelon that was hit by rockets from Gaza on October 9.
Tamir Kalifa/The New York Times/Redux
People take shelter in Jerusalem on October 9.
Samar Abu Elouf/The New York Times/Redux
The ruins of the Yassin mosque are seen in the Shati refugee camp just outside Gaza City on October 9.
Erik Marmor/AP
Friends and relatives of Ilai Bar Sade mourn next to his grave during his funeral at a military cemetery in Tel Aviv, Israel, on October 9.
Ali Jadallah/Anadolu Agency/Getty Images
Six-month-old Sama Alwadia is rescued from the rubble in Gaza City on October 9. Though the child had survived the initial strike, she died later while being treated for her injuries.
Mohammed Abed/AFP/Getty Images
Lightning strikes over Gaza City following an Israeli bombardment on October 9.
Oren Ziv/AP
Israeli soldiers take position near the border between Gaza and Israel on October 9.
Mohammed Saber/EPA-EFE/Shutterstock
A Palestinian man mourns over the body of his nephew killed in an Israeli airstrike in Gaza City on October 9.
Ronen Zvulun/Reuters
Israeli security and emergency officials respond after a rocket landed in the Israeli settlement of Beitar Ilit, in the occupied West Bank, on October 9.
Majdi Fathi/NurPhoto/Getty Images
Palestinians inspect the damage following an Israeli airstrike on the Sousi mosque in Gaza City on October 9.
Ilia Yefimovich/dpa/picture-alliance/AP
Israeli soldiers work on a tank at the border between Israel and Gaza on October 9.
Ramez Mahmoud/AP
Palestinians remove a body from the rubble of a building after an Israeli airstrike on the Jebaliya refugee camp in Gaza on October 9.
Mahmud Hams/AFP/Getty Images
A plume of smoke rises in the sky over Gaza City during an Israeli airstrike on October 9.
Maya Alleruzzo/AP
The mother of Israeli Col. Roi Levy cries during her son's funeral at the Mount Herzl cemetery in Jerusalem on October 9.
Mahmud Hams/AFP/Getty Images
Palestinians inspect damage from Israeli airstrikes in Gaza City's Shati refugee camp on October 9.
Ali Jadallah/Anadolu Agency/Getty Images
An injured Palestinian child is pictured in the aftermath of Israeli airstrikes at al-Shati refugee camp in Gaza on October 9.
Erik Marmor/AP
Israelis view a damaged residential building in Ashkelon after it was hit by a rocket fired from Gaza on October 9.
Tamir Kalifa/The New York Times/Redux
Tali Touito reacts as she describes how Hamas gunmen attacked and took over the police station on her street, in Sderot, Israel, on Sunday, October 8.
Fatima Shbair/AP
Fire and smoke rise from Gaza City following an Israeli airstrike on October 8.
Maya Alleruzzo/AP
A relative of an Israeli missing since the attacks is overcome by emotion during a press conference in Ramat Gan, Israel, on October 8.
Ibraheem Abu Mustafa/Reuters
Palestinians inspect a mosque destroyed by Israeli airstrikes in Khan Younis, Gaza, on October 8.
Jalaa Marey/AFP/Getty Images
An Israeli soldier prays standing in front of a tank on the outskirts of the northern town of Kiryat Shmona on October 8.
Oded Balilty/AP
Israelis inspect the rubble of a building in Tel Aviv on October 8, a day after it was hit by a rocket fired from Gaza.
Ronen Zvulun/Reuters
Israel's Iron Dome anti-missile system intercepts rockets launched from Gaza on October 8.
Ibraheem Abu Mustafa/Reuters
Palestinians search the rubble of a home in Khan Younis that was destroyed by Israeli airstrikes on October 8.
Ahmad Hasballah/Getty Images
Palestinian citizens inspect damage to their homes caused by Israeli airstrikes in Gaza City on October 8.
Amir Cohen/Reuters
Rockets launched from Gaza are intercepted by Israel's Iron Dome anti-missile system on October 8.
Samar Abu Elouf/The New York Times/Redux
Palestinian children look toward the sky at the sound of airstrikes at a United Nations-run school in Gaza on Saturday, October 7.
Tamir Kalifa/The New York Times/Redux
A woman runs to her family's reinforced concrete shelter moments after rocket sirens sounded in Ashkelon on October 7.
Tamir Kalifa/The New York Times/Redux
From the window of his family's apartment, a man surveys damage from a rocket that struck a parking lot in Ashkelon on October 7.
Fatima Shbair/AP
Palestinians gather around an Israeli army vehicle that Palestinian militants drove from Israel into Gaza on October 7.
Mohammed Fayq Abu Mostafa/Reuters
Palestinians break into the Israeli side of the Israel-Gaza border, after gunmen infiltrated parts of southern Israel on October 7.
Tsafrir Abayov/AP
Police officers evacuate a woman and a child from a site hit by a rocket in Ashkelon on October 7.
Ahmad Gharabli/AFP/Getty Images
Israeli police take cover in Ashkelon as sirens wail while rockets are fired from Gaza into Israel on October 7.
Mahmud Hams/AFP/Getty Images
Smoke rises over Gaza during Israeli airstrikes on October 7.
Baz Ratner/AP
An Israeli woman reacts over the body of her relative who was killed in the southern Israeli city of Sderot on October 7.
Mustafa Hassona/Anadolu Agency/Getty Images
Children are seen in a damaged house in Gaza after Israeli airstrikes on October 7.
Ilan Rosenberg/Reuters
Vehicles in Ashkelon burn as rockets are launched from Gaza on October 7.
Amir Cohen/Reuters
A man in Ashkelon runs after rockets were launched from Gaza on October 7.
Maya Alleruzzo/AP
Israelis donate blood in Jerusalem on October 7.
Samar Abu Elouf/The New York Times/Redux
Palestinians inspect a destroyed building as emergency responders try to contain fires after Israeli jets bombed Gaza on October 7.
Eyad Baba/AFP/Getty Images
Outside of a hospital in Gaza, men sit next to the covered body of a Palestinian militant killed during Saturday's clashes.
Ali Jadallah/Anadolu Agency/Getty Images
Relatives of Palestinians killed on Saturday, October 7, mourn at the morgue of a hospital in Gaza.
Tsafrir Abayov/AP licensed
An Israeli soldier stands by the bodies of Israelis killed by Palestinian militants in Sderot on October 7.
Amir Cohen/Reuters
A woman stands in a room damaged by rockets in Ashkelon on October 7.
Itai Ron/Reuters
A building in Tel Aviv is ablaze Saturday, October 7, following rocket attacks from Gaza.
Ali Jadallah/Anadolu Agency/Getty Images
Smoke rises as the clashes between Palestinian groups and Israeli forces continue on the streets of Beit Hanun in Gaza on October 7.
Hadas Parush/Reuters
People take cover in a bomb shelter in Rishon Lezion, Israel, as rockets are launched from Gaza on October 7.
Fatima Shbair/AP
Rockets are fired toward Israel from Gaza on October 7.
Of the remaining principles of the law of war – distinction, humanity (which, as the International Committee of the Red Cross phrases it, “forbids the infliction of all suffering, injury or destruction not necessary for achieving the legitimate purpose of a conflict”) and honor in conduct of waging war – the principle of distinction is the most complex. Distinction requires Israel to “distinguish between the civilian population and combatants” and between civilian facilities and military targets, while taking all feasible precautions to avoid civilian casualties. So far I have seen the IDF implementing – and in some cases going beyond – many of the best practices developed to minimize the harm of civilians in similar large-scale urban battles.
These IDF practices include calling everyone in a building to alert them of a pending air strike and giving them time to evacuate – a tactic I’ve never seen elsewhere in my decades of experience, as it also notifies the enemy of the attack – and sometimes even dropping small munitions on top of a building to provide additional warning. They have been conducting multiple weeks of requests that civilians evacuate certain parts of Gaza using multi-media broadcasts, texts and flyer drops. They’ve also provided routes that will not be targeted so that civilians have paths to non-combat areas, though there have been some tragic reports that Palestinians from northern Gaza who have relocated to the south were subsequently killed as the war rages throughout the strip.
When Hamas uses a hospital, school or mosque for military purpose, it can lose its protected status and become a legal military target. Israel must still make all feasible attempts to get as many civilians out of the site as possible, but the sites don’t need to be clear of civilians before being attacked.
Unfortunately, it’s essentially impossible to empty a city of all civilians before conducting an urban battle. Some people always stay, and it can be impossible for the elderly, infirm, hospitalized and similar to evacuate. In the densely populated Gaza Strip, where most Palestinians have nowhere to fully escape the dangers of the war, the proportion of those who remain is likely to be higher, as border crossings remain closed to nearly all Gazans, many Palestinians object to leaving and Hamas has warned others not to go.
Still, even if Hamas has no interest in meeting its obligation to take all feasible precautions to minimize harm to civilians, Israel does and should. The IDF should take steps like constraining its forces to smaller portions of larger urban areas while continuing to provide safe areas and routes out of the combat areas. It should continue its calls for civilian evacuations. It should restrict the use of air strikes and artillery near certain safe areas or gatherings of civilians. It should continue to cooperate with the US in facilitating the entry of humanitarian supplies into Gaza (though it’s reasonable to block fuel, which Hamas can use in its attacks and which the group is also stockpiling while refusing to share it with its own people).
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There is no escaping that pursuing a terrorist organization touches off a nightmarish landscape of war. The visually repulsive imagery in Gaza essentially recreates the same scenes that unfolded under American and allied campaigns fighting Al Qaeda, ISIS and other terror groups, because that is what it looks like when you are forced to uproot a sadistic terror organization embedded in an urban area. Sadly, successful US-led or supported campaigns in places such as Mosul and Raqqa caused billions of dollars in damage and killed and displaced hundreds of thousands of civilians; that is the hellish reality of defeating terrorism.
Like all similar conflicts in modern times, a battle in Gaza will look like the entire city was purposely razed to the ground or indiscriminately carpet bombed – but it wasn’t. Israel possesses the military capacity to do so, and the fact that it doesn’t employ such means is further evidence that it is respecting the rules of war. It is also a sign that this is not revenge – a gross mischaracterization of Israeli aims – but instead a careful defensive campaign to ensure Israel’s survival.