The military campaign of the Israeli forces against the Gaza Strip has been going on since the end of 2023, and it has radically changed the physical, social, and legal background of the Gaza Strip. Towards the end of the year 2025, more than 53,000 Palestinians were reported dead. According to independent research organizations, around 83 percent of the deaths are civilians including thousands of children. Whole neighbourhoods have been demolished and schools, hospitals and refugee camps have been struck on several occasions.
Mid-2025 saw increased scrutiny by the international community because of the publication of the commission report by the UN Human Rights Council. The report claims that the Israeli activities are war crimes and genocides under international law. It captures the systematic demolition of civilian infrastructure, massive displacement of people, and intentional attacks on innocent people. The commission implicated Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and other senior defense officials with responsibility to issue orders and carry on operations in contravention of the international humanitarian law.
Humanitarian monitors have rated the military strategy as being disproportionate and indiscriminate due to the nature and magnitude of the Israeli attacks. Analysts refer to it as a campaign that had tactical objectives overshadowed by legal and ethical ramifications with emphasis on a shift in the character of urban warfare in civilian populations.
Israeli Government’s Justification and Self-Defense Claims
The Israeli leaders still present their military retaliation as a right of self-defense as provided by Article 51 of the UN Charter. On the 7th of October, 2023, there was a Hamas-led attack in Israeli territory, which claimed the lives of over 1,200 people and took more than 250 civilians hostage. According to Israeli authorities, this is an existential threat and that is why it has been a prolonged and aggressive campaign to destroy the military facilities of Hamas.
The official representatives of the government claim that the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) act in a precise way and make efforts to avoid civilian victims by sending advance warnings in the form of leaflet drops, text messages, and using the roof-knocking technique. However, the usefulness of such actions in the highly populated areas of conflict is a controversial issue.
Civilian harm and proportionality concerns
Although Israel claims to have made attempts to prevent civilians, the extent of devastation and the sheer figures of civilians killed are quite legal and ethical issues. The maxim of proportionality that drives the international humanitarian law- means that the incidental damage to civilians should not result in exceeding the military benefit accrued.
The Israeli authorities claim that the strategy of Hamas to incorporate fighters in residential buildings and use civilians as human shields makes the operational decisions difficult. Nevertheless, legal scholars argue that these issues do not relieve Israel of the responsibility to safeguard the life of civilians. Israeli denials of war crimes as expressions of politics have not alarmed the ever-increasing international concern.
International Law and Humanitarian Perspectives
The international humanitarian law, specifically, the Geneva Conventions, provide clear obligations that should be applied by all parties in military conflicts. These involve the ability to differentiate between civilians and combatants and the fact that the attacks have to be reasonable and justified. By 2025, the large human rights organizations like the Human rights Watch and the Amnesty International had filed documents purporting Israeli atrocities on a scale.
The main violations mentioned are the unselective application of explosive weapons in inhabited locations, assaults on medical institutions, and hindrance of humanitarian aid. Interestingly, there are reports of weaponization of some of the most fundamental needs like food, water and electricity which is what is referred to as collective punishment and is also subject to law enforcement.
Escalation of legal accountability
The decision by the International Criminal Court to issue arrest warrants in 2024 against a number of Israeli leaders is a breakthrough in the systems of accountability in the world. These warrants were adopted on the basis of amassed evidence of human crimes such as civilians, destruction of cultural heritage and the application of starvation as a means of war.
In 2025, UN-appointed investigators broadened their vocabulary to define the actions of Israel in Gaza as genocide. This has changed the legal discourse in the world and created doubts about enforcement particularly considering Israel is not a member of the Rome Statute, and the fact that the United States supports this ally.
Political Ramifications and Divided Global Responses
The humanitarian evaluation and the legal one have led to the division in global agreement. The United States, United Kingdom and a number of the European states still regard Israel as having the right to protect itself, and their denunciation is usually directed at Hamas. Nevertheless, the domestic political forces of these countries have contributed to more subtle public stands since the outcry to have ceasefires and independent investigations are being increasingly followed.
Conversely, countries in Latin America, Africa and the Middle East have called upon sanctions, embargoes and war crimes trials more and more. In early 2025, South Africa and Malaysia were on the forefront of diplomacy at the UN General Assembly to condemn Israeli activities and impose humanitarian rights in Gaza.
Diplomatic consequences and realignments
The increase in levels of war crimes has brought about diplomatic misalignments especially amongst the Arab League states. Developments have seen some of the countries which have normalized with Israel under the Abraham Accords stop cooperation pending further developments. Simultaneously, regional and international institutions have become more active in dealing with Palestinian leaders, such as supporting legal aid and reconstruction strategies, and are transforming the political landscape of the conflict.
Long-Term Humanitarian Challenges
More than 1.9 million individuals have been displaced in Gaza as a result of the war and many have had several instances of relocation. Whole areas have been levelled to the ground, and vital amenities like health care, education and sanitation- have been lost or grossly impaired. Little relief is available and living conditions are deteriorating, which means that the threat of famine and illness has grown exponentially.
An example of this is humanitarian corridors, which have not been consistent despite temporary ceasefire agreements. The international aid agencies document that there are logistical and political impediments at the border crossings especially with a weak or no cooperation of the Israelis and Egyptians. These obstacles extend the humanitarian crisis and increase the urgency of international intervention.
Societal breakdown and generational trauma
The psychological, social impact of the long-lasting violence on the population of Gaza is irreparable. Children who form almost half of the population of the enclave experience airstrike, displacement, and family loss over a long period. Schools which were once the pillars of the community are in ruins and health systems are flooded.
The social cost of the conflict will go even further than the military or political period of the conflict. Analysts caution that the psychological, economical and institutional harm caused by a generation can cause decades-long instability to become a part of the system. The future of recovery and peace is scarce without humanitarian investment that is both short-term and long-term.
The stark disparity between Israel’s self-defense claims and mounting evidence of war crimes underscores the legal and moral complexity of modern asymmetric warfare. As international bodies pursue accountability and Gaza’s population grapples with irreversible losses, the conflict demands sustained scrutiny—not only of battlefield actions, but also of the structures that perpetuate such cycles. Whether meaningful justice and reconstruction can follow will shape the trajectory of international law, regional diplomacy, and humanitarian norms in an era where military power continues to test legal restraint.