B'Tselem: Israeli Forces Failed to Provide Connection between Bombed Houses and Military Activity

[azurnoir]

The human rights organization uses the definition of a ‘military target’ under the international humanitarian law as the yardstick of its judgment.

International humanitarian law defines a military target as follows: “[…] military objectives are limited to those objects which by their nature, location, purpose or use make an effective contribution to military action and whose total or partial destruction, capture or neutralization, in the circumstances ruling at the time, offers a definite military advantage.” (Article 52 (2), Protocol I Additional to the Fourth Geneva Convention)

According to the official interpretation of the International Committee of the Red Cross, objectives which, by their nature, make an effective contribution to hostile military action – such as weapon storage, military bases and communication centers used by the military – are considered military targets.

B’Tselem added that although civilian sites may also serve military needs, that is when armed forces stay in them or use them as headquarters, and accordingly become legitimate military targets, the law emphasizes that if any doubt arises as to the use of a civilian site and its effective contribution to hostile military actions, it must be considered civilian.

Another prerequisite for a legitimate objective is that attacking it must provide a definite military advantage.

http://english.wafa.ps/index.php?action=detail&id=25887

[King_David]

2. Today there was a chance to end all this carnage , Egypt brokered a cease fire ,

Israel accepepted it but of course that was not enough to end this .
Hamas rejected it out if hand - that's all it took for this to continue ...