A Reminder that Targeting a Hospital is a War Crime

Elise Baker is a senior staff lawyer at the Atlantic Council Strategic Litigation Project. She leads efforts on accountability and supports victims and survivors of human rights violations in Syria. She has also documented the Assad regime’s systematic attacks on healthcare in Syria with Physicians for Human Rights. Britt Gronemeyer is an assistant director at the same project, supporting accountability for human rights abuses in Iran, Syria, Ukraine, and other countries.

The world’s attention is rightly focused on the ceasefire taking effect across Gaza, offering urgent and life-saving relief to over two million civilians. While mediators, politicians, and humanitarian workers concentrate on securing a lasting ceasefire and enabling critical aid, lawyers and human rights advocates must intensify their pursuit of accountability.

Over the past two years, Israeli military actions in Gaza have frequently violated international law, with near-daily reports of war crimes and crimes against humanity causing tens of thousands of deaths. Among the most serious violations are the hundreds of strikes on medical facilities.

Israeli strikes on hospitals constitute blatant breaches of international law and represent egregious war crimes.

Legal and human rights organizations emphasize the urgent need to hold perpetrators accountable to prevent further destruction and loss of civilian life.

Author’s summary: Targeting medical facilities in conflict zones is a grave war crime demanding immediate legal accountability to protect civilian lives and uphold international law.

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Opinio Juris — 2025-11-05

A Reminder that Targeting a Hospital is a War Crime

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