Modern warfare has increasingly become a theater where civilians bear the brunt of violence, often at the hands of organized political groups or state actors engaging in indiscriminate attacks. This phenomenon is particularly evident in urban settings and ongoing conflicts, where the deliberate targeting or reckless endangerment of non-combatants has been documented as a violation of international humanitarian law.
In urban warfare, civilians are disproportionately affected, accounting for up to 90% of casualties during conflicts in populated areas12. Armed actors, including organized groups and state forces, often hide among civilian populations, exposing them to heightened risks as they become trapped between opposing forces1. The use of explosive weapons with wide-area effects in cities destroys essential infrastructure like water, electricity, and hospitals, causing long-term harm to civilian health and safety1. For instance, in conflicts across cities like Gaza, Bakhmut, and Mariupol, aerial bombings and artillery shelling have resulted in massive civilian casualties and displacement, disrupting entire generations3.
Specific cases highlight the indiscriminate nature of violence by organized political groups. During the October 7, 2023, assault on southern Israel, Hamas-led armed groups committed numerous war crimes and crimes against humanity, including the deliberate murder of civilians and hostage-taking45. Palestinian fighters targeted residential communities, fired directly at fleeing civilians, and burned homes, with 815 of the 1,195 killed being civilians4. Human Rights Watch concluded that killing civilians and taking hostages were central aims of the attack, not incidental outcomes4. Similarly, Hamas has been criticized for firing indiscriminate rockets into civilian areas in Israel, further violating international humanitarian law by failing to distinguish between combatants and non-combatants65.
On the other side of such conflicts, state actors have also been implicated in indiscriminate violence. In Gaza, Israeli military operations following the October 7 attacks have drawn widespread criticism for their disproportionate and indiscriminate nature65. Amnesty International documented cases where Israeli forces struck residential buildings and public markets without evidence of military targets nearby, failing to take feasible precautions to minimize civilian harm6. One such attack killed 19 members of a single family, despite the presence of civilians being foreseeable6. These actions, including cutting off water and electricity and limiting humanitarian aid, have been labeled as potential war crimes and collective punishment45.
The broader trend in modern armed conflicts shows civilian casualty rates ranging from 13% to 87%, with many deaths resulting not just from direct violence but from reverberating effects like the destruction of economies, health infrastructure, and food security78. Women and children, in particular, suffer from malnutrition, illness, and indirect deaths due to these disruptions7. Forced displacement, both internal and across borders, exacerbates civilian vulnerability, with internally displaced persons facing inadequate living conditions and high mortality rates7.
Organized political groups and state forces often exploit the complexities of modern warfare—such as urban environments and hybrid tactics like drone strikes and proxy fighters—to pursue political objectives through violence against civilians8. Research indicates that armed groups may use violence instrumentally for political cleansing or to eliminate rivals, particularly in areas with intermixed populations9. This strategic targeting, combined with a disregard for international humanitarian law, underscores the characterization of such actors as "organized political gangsters" who prioritize power over civilian protection8.
In summary, modern warfare is marked by a tragic pattern of indiscriminate civilian casualties perpetrated by organized political entities. Whether through deliberate attacks by groups like Hamas or disproportionate responses by state forces, the failure to distinguish between combatants and civilians remains a critical violation of humanitarian principles, with devastating consequences for vulnerable populations worldwide.
- https://civiliansinconflict.org/our-work/conflict-trends/urban-warfare/
- https://press.un.org/en/2022/sc14904.doc.htm
- https://www.canada.ca/en/army/services/canadian-army-journal/articles/2024/21-1-muhammedally-mitigating-civilian-harm.html
- https://www.hrw.org/news/2024/07/17/october-7-crimes-against-humanity-war-crimes-hamas-led-groups
- https://www.clingendael.org/publication/realities-israeli-state-and-hamas-violence
- https://www.amnesty.org/en/latest/news/2023/10/damning-evidence-of-war-crimes-as-israeli-attacks-wipe-out-entire-families-in-gaza/
- https://watson.brown.edu/costsofwar/costs/human/civilians
- https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/public-health/articles/10.3389/fpubh.2021.765261/full
- https://www.annualreviews.org/content/journals/10.1146/annurev-polisci-041719-102229?crawler=true&mimetype=application%2Fpdf
- https://www.mideastjournal.org/post/civilian-casualties-gaza-war
- https://ourworldindata.org/war-and-peace
- https://www.militarystrategymagazine.com/article/mass-killings-of-civilians-in-counter-insurgency-killing-more-winning-more/
- https://oxfordre.com/internationalstudies/display/10.1093/acrefore/9780190846626.001.0001/acrefore-9780190846626-e-609?d=%2F10.1093%2Facrefore%2F9780190846626.001.0001%2Facrefore-9780190846626-e-609&p=emailAyfbcMNqeEyN6
- https://digitalcommons.law.uga.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1036&context=gjicl
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Crimes_against_humanity
- https://www.newsweek.com/israel-has-created-new-standard-urban-warfare-why-will-no-one-admit-it-opinion-1883286
- https://www.reddit.com/r/geopolitics/comments/1cs4xg1/are_90_of_deaths_in_wars_really_civilians_what/
- https://tnsr.org/2022/06/the-human-factor-the-enduring-relevance-of-protecting-civilians-in-future-wars/
- https://academic.oup.com/jogss/article/10/3/ogaf013/8124997
- https://acleddata.com/knowledge-base/gang-violence-concepts-benchmarks-and-coding-rules/
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