It is prohibited to launch an attack which may be expected to cause incidental loss of civilian life, injury to civilians, damage to civilian objects, or a combination thereof, which would be excessive in relation to the concrete and direct military advantage anticipated. Attacks must never be directed against civilians. Attacks may only be directed against combatants. The parties to the conflict must at all times distinguish between civilians and combatants.

Military NecessityĪ party to an armed conflict may use only that degree and kind of force, not otherwise prohibited by IHL, that is required to achieve the legitimate purpose of the armed conflict, namely the complete or partial submission of the enemy at the earliest possible moment with the minimum expenditure of life and resources. Humanity forbids the infliction of suffering, injury or destruction not actually necessary for the accomplishment of legitimate military purposes.

The following principles form the bedrock of the law as it applies to the conduct of hostilities: Humanity IHL aims to strike a balance between legitimate military action and the humanitarian objective of reducing human suffering, particularly among civilians.

It is intended to be a universal and neutral body of law. It has its roots in ancient civilisations and religions.

IHL is a practical set of rules for the battlefield. The universal nature and underlying principles of international humanitarian law This is governed by an important, but different, part of international law set out in the United Nations Charter. IHL applies to armed conflicts, but it does not regulate whether a State may actually use force. The rules which underpin IHL can be found in treaties between States, such as the universally-ratified Geneva Conventions of 1949, and customary international law, which emerges from general State practice that is followed out of a sense of legal obligation.

Armed conflict definition