No one's hands
are clean

On the first day of the war, a US strike hit a primary school in the southern city of Minab during class hours. 156–175 people were killed, including at least 120 schoolchildren — girls aged 7 to 12. The school's roof collapsed on students while classes were underway. The school had formerly been part of a nearby military complex but was functioning as a civilian school at the time of the strike.

The US initially denied responsibility. A Pentagon internal investigation (Army Regulation 15-6 inquiry) subsequently found that US forces were likely responsible. Multiple independent investigations — including Amnesty International, satellite imagery analysis, and witness accounts — corroborated the strike. A group of UN experts concluded the attack "raises the most serious concerns under international law."

Refugees International called it potentially "the largest number of child casualties in a single US military attack since the My Lai massacre in Vietnam in 1968."

Possible war crime Under investigation

At least 20 civilians were killed in Tehran's Niloofar Square — mostly families who had gathered after breaking their Ramadan fast at iftar. A Tomahawk missile struck a building adjacent to a school in the area. Preliminary US military findings cited outdated targeting data as a contributing factor.

Civilian harm — targeting failure

Two drones struck Iran's first and largest pharmaceutical raw materials research company. Pharmaceutical production facilities are protected civilian infrastructure under IHL when not used for military purposes. The strike risks long-term disruption of medicine supply chains affecting Iranian civilians for years.

IHL violation — civilian infrastructure

The US struck an unfinished bridge in Karaj, Iran with two missiles. 8 civilians were killed and at least 95 wounded. The victims were celebrating Sizdah Be-dar — Iran's Nature Day, a national holiday when families picnic outdoors — in the area below the bridge.

The second strike — a "double-tap" — occurred once first responders had arrived to assist victims of the first strike. Double-tap strikes deliberately targeting rescuers are prohibited under IHL as they constitute attacks on protected persons. The US denied using double-tap tactics, but Iran's Fars News Agency and the deputy governor of Alborz province confirmed the sequence.

Double-tap — possible war crime Documented by Iranian authorities

An Israeli airstrike — part of the joint campaign — struck a hospital-adjacent IVF clinic at Gandhi Hospital, seriously injuring at least one healthcare worker and destroying fertility samples and embryos belonging to families seeking treatment. Medical facilities are explicitly protected under the Geneva Conventions.

Attack on protected medical facility

UNIFIL (UN Interim Force in Lebanon) documented more than 10,000 Israeli violations of Lebanese airspace and 1,400 military activities inside Lebanese territory between the November 27, 2024 ceasefire and the end of February 2026. These resulted in approximately 400 deaths and 1,100 injuries.

Israel also maintained troops at five positions inside Lebanese territory in direct violation of the ceasefire's withdrawal requirements: Labbouneh, Marwahin, Aitaroun, Hula and Sarada. Lebanon's separate government complaint to the UN Security Council documented 2,036 sovereignty breaches in just the last three months of 2025 alone.

Mass ceasefire violation — UNSCR 1701 Documented by UNIFIL

Israel conducted over 100 airstrikes and dropped more than 160 bombs across Lebanon in under 10 minutes — including in residential Beirut neighborhoods. At least 357 people were killed. Among those killed: radio journalist Ghada Dayekh, 37 years on air, killed when her apartment building in Tyre was completely destroyed.

France called the strikes "indiscriminate." The UN condemned them. Israel claimed all targets were Hezbollah — independent investigators found significant evidence of civilian targeting.

Indiscriminate attack

The April 17 ceasefire — extended to May — was violated by Israel within hours of taking effect. Israeli forces continued demolitions in Lebanese villages, artillery fire, and machinegun attacks targeting communities along the "Yellow Line." Israel established a 10km military buffer zone inside Lebanese territory it refuses to vacate.

Today alone (April 30, 2026): At least 28 people killed in Israeli attacks across southern Lebanon despite the ceasefire. Targets included residential buildings in Jebchit (four killed, including a family), Toul (multiple killed), Harouf, and Qana — the same village Israel killed 106 civilians in during the 1996 Grapes of Wrath operation.

Lebanon's President Aoun: "continuing Israeli violations...as do demolitions of homes and places of worship, while the number of killed and wounded rises day after day."

Active ceasefire violation Documented by Lebanese Health Ministry and UNIFIL

Israel struck Lebanese Civil Defence workers on a rescue mission in southern Lebanon. A second strike hit once the Lebanese military patrol escorting the workers arrived — two Lebanese army soldiers were also wounded. Three rescue workers were killed, initially trapped under rubble by the first strike, confirmed dead from the second.

Lebanon's Prime Minister called it a "heinous crime" and "war crimes." The Lebanese government committed to raising it in international forums.

Attack on protected persons — rescue workers and military medical

TODAY: Israeli military boats intercepted 22 of 58 vessels from the Global Sumud Flotilla in international waters off the Peloponnese peninsula of Greece — hundreds of nautical miles from Gaza. The flotilla, carrying humanitarian aid and 400+ activists from multiple countries, had sailed from Barcelona on April 12. Israeli forces used drones, radar jamming technology, and armed speedboats. Activists livestreamed as soldiers carrying assault rifles boarded vessels and ordered participants to their hands and knees.

211 people were arrested, including a Paris city councillor. A spokesperson for the flotilla called it "a straight-up attack on unarmed civilian boats in international waters — kidnapping on the high seas." Turkey's Foreign Ministry condemned the seizure as "an act of piracy." Italy — one of Israel's closest European allies — condemned it as "unlawful" and summoned Israel's charge d'affaires. Spain, Germany, and France issued similar condemnations.

This is Israel's second such interception: in October 2025, Israel seized 40+ vessels from the same organization, arresting more than 450 participants including Greta Thunberg and the grandson of South African leader Nelson Mandela. Multiple detainees alleged physical and psychological abuse in Israeli custody.

Seizure of civilian vessels in international waters Obstruction of humanitarian aid — collective punishment

Double-tap strikes — striking a location, then striking again when rescuers arrive — are documented across Lebanon and Gaza and have been confirmed by Lebanon's own Minister of Health. The pattern is deliberate: the second strike arrives specifically as civil defence crews are pulling bodies from rubble.

Majdal Zoun, April 29, 2026: First strike wounds Lebanese army soldiers. Civil Defence crews respond. Second strike kills three rescue workers — Hussein Ghadbouni, Hussein Sati and Hadi Daher — trapping them under rubble. Lebanese PM Nawaf Salam: "a clear war crime." Lebanese President Joseph Aoun: proof of Israel's "continued violation of international law protecting rescuers and civilians." The Majdal Zoun location was outside Israel's self-declared "Yellow Line."

Lebanon's Health Minister Dr. Firass Abiad confirmed the systemic pattern: "There have been several instances where we did not allow the first responders to go out, because it was clear that they would be targeted. There have also been direct threats by the Israelis on certain healthcare responders, where they clearly said that they will target them if they are on the road."

Human Rights Watch: examined three facilities Israel struck, found "no evidence indicating use of these facilities for military purposes at the time of the attacks." The effect: Lebanon's emergency services have been functionally disabled in conflict zones. Paramedic crews now send a motorbike scout before responding to any incident.

Double-tap — attack on protected persons Confirmed by Lebanon Health Ministry, HRW, The National, BBC

Israel has killed more journalists than any other nation in the Committee to Protect Journalists' recorded history. CPJ recorded a global high of 129 journalists killed in 2025 — the most since it began collecting data over three decades ago. Israel was responsible for two-thirds of those deaths. Reporters Without Borders has filed five separate complaints with the International Criminal Court against Israel for war crimes against journalists.

The pattern is consistent: Israel routinely claims journalists it kills are "members of or linked to armed groups" without providing evidence. Lebanon's President called it "a blatant crime that violates all norms and treaties under which journalists are granted international protection during armed conflicts."

March 28, 2026 — Tyre, Lebanon: Three journalists killed in an Israeli strike on a clearly marked press vehicle. Among them: Amal Khalil, 43, a Lebanese reporter for Al Akhbar, killed during the active ceasefire. CPJ CEO Jodie Ginsberg: "This is not the first time that Israel has prevented emergency services from reaching journalists injured in their strikes. Journalists are civilians and protected under international law. Israel's blatant disregard for such norms — and the international community's failure to hold them accountable — is abhorrent."

April 8, 2026 ("Black Wednesday"): Radio journalist Ghada Dayekh — 37 years on air, a fixture of Tyre's cultural life — killed when Israel destroyed her apartment building. Lebanon's press community described it as a targeted assassination of a known civilian public figure.

Targeting journalists — 5 ICC complaints filed CPJ, RSF, Amnesty International documented

On April 8, Israel conducted over 100 airstrikes and dropped more than 160 bombs across Lebanon in under 10 minutes. The mass strike hit residential Beirut neighborhoods, south Lebanon, and the Bekaa Valley. At least 357 people were killed. France called the strikes "indiscriminate." The UN condemned them.

Separately, on March 18, Israel conducted extensive overnight strikes in central Beirut that were "largely unannounced with no warnings issued," killing at least 10 people and injuring 27. The absence of any advance warning — which Israel typically uses as a legal cover for strikes — meant residents had no opportunity to evacuate.

Indiscriminate attack — civilian areas without warning

Israeli forces have repeatedly opened fire at UNIFIL (UN Interim Force in Lebanon) peacekeepers in southern Lebanon — a force explicitly mandated by UN Security Council Resolution 1701 to monitor the ceasefire. Attacks on UN peacekeepers are themselves a violation of international law. The mandate for UNIFIL has been terminated through 2026 with final closure planned for 2027 — effectively ending the only international monitoring presence in southern Lebanon.

Russia's condemnation of Israel explicitly named "attacks on journalists and UNIFIL peacekeepers" as among the violations requiring Israel to "abandon the use of force."

Attack on UN peacekeepers — prohibited under international law

The IDF struck a church-sponsored social housing complex in Ain Saade — a Christian area not far from Beirut with no established Hezbollah presence. At least three people were killed: local politician Pierre Moawad (of the Lebanese Forces party — the pro-Western ruling coalition party explicitly opposed to Hezbollah), his wife, and a female neighbor.

The IDF claimed it was targeting an unnamed "Hezbollah member hiding among local Christians" and said Moawad was "not the intended target." The Lebanese Forces is a party that has been actively cooperating with the Lebanese government's disarmament of Hezbollah. The claim that a Hezbollah operative was hiding in a church housing complex in a Hezbollah-opposed Christian area was widely disputed.

Strike on protected civilian structure — church-affiliated housing Documented by Wikipedia Lebanon war article, multiple outlets

UNIFIL documented alleged use of white phosphorus along the Blue Line — a prohibited incendiary weapon in civilian areas. Israel has also been repeatedly spraying chemical pesticides across southern Lebanese farmland, reportedly aimed at preventing farmers from replanting crops — a deliberate effort to keep border areas devoid of population and civilian economic activity.

Analysts describe this as a systematic depopulation strategy combined with physical demolition of border villages — mirroring Israel's approach in Gaza.

Prohibited weapons — collective punishment

Israeli military forces intercepted 22 of 58 aid boats from the Global Sumud Flotilla in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, near Crete, in international waters approximately 600+ nautical miles from the coast of Gaza. The flotilla had set sail from Barcelona on April 12 carrying humanitarian aid for Palestinians in Gaza.

Activists reported being approached by Israeli military speedboats "pointing lasers and semi-automatic assault weapons, ordering participants to the front of the boats and to get on their hands and knees." Israel used drones, communications jamming technology, and armed raiding parties to halt the fleet. 175+ activists were detained including a Paris city councillor, Italians, and Spanish nationals. Communications were jammed. Engines were reportedly damaged.

Italy "condemns the seizure... and calls on Israel to immediately release all the unlawfully detained Italians." Spain "energetically condemns" the seizure. Turkey's Foreign Ministry called it "an act of piracy." Germany called for "restraint from irresponsible actions." Flotilla organizers: "No state has the right to claim, police, or occupy international waters. Yet, that is exactly what Israel has done, extending its regime of control outward, occupying the Mediterranean Sea off the coast of Europe."

This is the second flotilla Israel has intercepted. In October 2025, Israel arrested 450+ people including Greta Thunberg, Nelson Mandela's grandson, and European Parliament member Rima Hassan. Detained activists alleged physical and psychological abuse in Israeli custody.

Interception in international waters — piracy under UNCLOS Condemned by Italy, Spain, Turkey, Germany

An Israeli strike hit the fourth-floor balcony of Nasser Hospital in Khan Younis, Gaza — a location regularly used as a live camera position by Reuters, AP, and Al Jazeera. Seven minutes later, as rescue workers, emergency responders, and journalists rushed to help victims of the first strike, Israel fired again. CNN subsequently obtained video revealing a third strike fired almost simultaneously with the second — hitting the staircase where first responders had gathered.

22 people were killed in total, including 5 journalists: Reuters contractor Hussam al-Masri; AP/Reuters freelancers Mariam Abu Dagga and Moaz Abu Taha; Al Jazeera cameraman Mohammad Salama; and Ahmed Abu Aziz. Four health workers and a civil defense member also died. Over 50 people were wounded.

An Israeli security official told CNN that forces had identified a camera they believed was Hamas-linked and received authorization to strike it — but instead of a drone, fired two tank shells: one at the camera, one at the rescue forces who responded. This is an explicit admission of intentional targeting of first responders. Netanyahu called it a "tragic mishap."

A July 2025 investigation by Israeli publications +972 Magazine and Local Call found double-tap strikes had become "standard procedure in Gaza," with a military source stating: "First responders, rescue teams — they kill them. They strike again, on top of them." Amnesty International documented the practice. Reuters subsequently changed its policy and stopped sharing journalist locations with the Israeli military due to the number of journalists being killed.

Triple-tap — intentional targeting of first responders — war crime Confirmed by CNN, AP, Reuters, +972 investigation

An Israeli airstrike hit a media tent outside Al-Shifa Hospital in Gaza City, killing Al Jazeera journalist Anas Al-Sharif along with four other journalists: Mohammed Qreiqeh, Ibrahim Zaher, Mohammed Noufal, and Moamen Aliwa — as well as Al-Sharif's nephew. The attack was widely condemned as a deliberate assault on journalists. The IDF claimed Al-Sharif was a Hamas operative — an allegation rejected by Al Jazeera, CPJ, and press freedom organizations.

The cumulative toll: 270+ journalists killed by Israel in Gaza as of April 2026 — the deadliest conflict for journalists in recorded history. The Committee to Protect Journalists called it "the most horrific attacks the press has ever faced in recent history" and said Israel was "engaging in the deadliest and most deliberate effort to kill and silence journalists that CPJ has ever documented."

According to Reporters Without Borders, nearly half of all journalists killed worldwide in 2025 died in Gaza, with Israeli forces responsible for approximately 43% of global journalist fatalities that year. Over 700 relatives of Palestinian journalists have been killed. In July 2025, AFP issued a statement that its journalists in Gaza were "in imminent danger of starving to death" — with one physically unable to work due to hunger.

Targeted killing of journalists — war crime CPJ · RSF · IFJ · Foreign Press Association

Palestinian photojournalist Fatima Hassouna was killed in an Israeli airstrike on her family home in Gaza City, along with 10 members of her family. The strike came one day after her documentary film had been selected for the ACID film programme at the 2025 Cannes Film Festival. The documentary — Put Your Soul on Your Hand and Walk — was made while she was under siege in Gaza. She did not survive to see it shown.

Killing of journalist and family — collective punishment

The UN Commission of Inquiry documented Israel's use of starvation as a method of warfare in Gaza: blocking food, water, medicine, and fuel from entering the strip for prolonged periods. By 2025, famine conditions were confirmed. WFP confirmed the first famine in the 21st century occurring simultaneously in both Gaza and Sudan. AFP journalists reported being in "imminent danger of starving to death" while covering the conflict — meaning the journalists sent to document the famine were themselves experiencing it.

The World Health Organization documented 660+ attacks on healthcare facilities in Gaza. By early 2026, nearly all of Gaza's hospitals were non-functional or critically under-resourced. Patients were dying for lack of basic supplies that were blocked at the border.

Starvation as weapon of war — Geneva Convention violation ICC arrest warrant — Netanyahu and Gallant

Israeli strikes on Iran during the Twelve-Day War (June 2025) and Operation Epic Fury (February 2026) killed at least 14 Iranian nuclear scientists, some by car bombs. Targeted assassination of civilians — even those working on military programs — outside of active combat zones raises significant questions under IHL. The scientists were not combatants in any conventional military sense.

IHL questions — targeted killing of non-combatants

72,300+ Palestinians killed in Gaza since October 2023. The UN Commission of Inquiry found 4 of 5 Genocide Convention acts met. The ICC issued arrest warrants for PM Benjamin Netanyahu and Defense Minister Yoav Gallant for war crimes and crimes against humanity including: murder, inhumane acts, deliberately targeting civilians, starvation as a weapon of war, and other acts constituting crimes against humanity.

90%+ of civilian infrastructure destroyed. 660+ attacks on healthcare facilities. 270+ journalists killed — the deadliest conflict for the press in recorded history. 100% of Gaza's 2.3 million people forcibly displaced.

ICC arrest warrants issued UN genocide finding — 4/5 acts met

An Iranian strike hit a synagogue and residential buildings in Beit Shemesh, Israel, killing nine people and injuring 49 others. Separately, Iranian missiles equipped with cluster bomb warheads were used: on March 9, submunitions struck workers at a construction site in Yehud; on March 17, cluster munitions from an Iranian missile hit an apartment building in Ramat Gan, killing two elderly residents.

Cluster munitions are banned under the 2008 Convention on Cluster Munitions because their wide-area effect and high dud rate cause disproportionate civilian harm. Iran has not signed the convention — but their use in populated civilian areas still constitutes a violation of customary IHL's proportionality principle.

Cluster munitions — prohibited by customary IHL in civilian areas

Iran launched strikes across all six GCC member states — Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the UAE — as well as Iraq and Jordan. Among the targets: a desalination plant (protected civilian infrastructure), residential areas, and civilian commercial districts. At least 10 civilians were killed in the UAE, 29 injured in Jordan, and additional deaths across the Gulf.

Refugees International: "Iranian attacks have also struck civilian targets and infrastructure, including a desalination plant and urban residential areas. All such sites are protected under IHL."

Attack on protected civilian infrastructure

Iran closed the Strait of Hormuz to shipping following the US-Israel strikes, disrupting global trade and oil supplies. The legality of this action is genuinely contested (see the Iran Nuclear Fact-Check piece), but the closure affected neutral third-country shipping from states not party to the conflict — raising questions under UNCLOS's transit passage provisions and customary international law.

Contested legality — affects neutral states

Between late December 2025 and late January 2026, nationwide anti-government protests spread to more than 200 Iranian cities following the collapse of the rial and record inflation. The Iranian government's crackdown resulted in mass killings. The official death toll ran into the thousands. Time magazine reported as many as 30,000 civilians killed — described as the largest government killing of Iranian civilians in modern history.

The crackdown devastated Iran's healthcare system just weeks before the US-Israeli strikes began — meaning that Iranian civilians arrived at hospitals already overwhelmed when the bombs started falling.

Mass killing of civilians — domestic repression Reported by Time, Center for American Progress

Iran funds and directs Hezbollah, Hamas, the Houthis, and various Iraqi militias — groups that have directly targeted civilian populations in Israel and Gulf states. Providing material support to groups committing war crimes creates potential command responsibility under international law. Iran has consistently denied operational control while coordinating strikes.

Command responsibility — proxy forces