Imagine the following scenario in WWII:
- Germans bombed an Allied refugee camp comprised of 50% children that the Germans had held captive because it would kill some of the adult Allied militaries who controlled the camp and who committed horrific atrocities.
- Allies bombed a German refugee camp comprised of 50% children that the Allies held captive because it would kill some of the adult German military who controlled the camp and who committed horrific atrocities.
Questions:
- Which of these two scenarios is just or at least not evil or against international law?
- If neither, what would need to change for the bombing to be justified (the percentage of children, the percentage of refugees, the severity of the atrocities, the number of civilian supporters of the attackers in the targetted territory…)?
- What is characteristic about Israel’s bombing of Gaza that justifies the above scenario?
Gaza Review (Oct. 7-Nov 2, 2023)
- Israel declares 10,000 bombs have been dropped on Gaza
- At least 9,061 people have been killed by Israeli strikes in Gaza, including 3,760 children
- Nearly half (47.3%) of the Gaza population are children, and of those forty percent of Gaza’s population is under the age of 14.
- Less than an estimated 0.25% of the Gaza people (mostly dual citizens) have been allowed to flee Gaza.