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Israel – Hamas 2023 Symposium – Beyond the Pale: IHRL and the Hamas Attack on Israel
The October 7, 2023 attack by armed Hamas militants against Israel and the long string of atrocities committed by them against Israeli civilians and military personnel has already been the subject of legal analysis on Articles of War (see here, here and here). Beyond...
Israel – Hamas 2023 Symposium – Siege Law and Military Necessity
It is no surprise that the debate over the legality of Israeli measures directed against Hamas is already gaining momentum. Public discussion has focused, at least for now, on Israeli Defense Minister Gallant’s declaration that, “no electricity, no food, no water, no...
Israel – Hamas 2023 Symposium – Hostage-Taking and the Law of Armed Conflict
In the early morning of October 7, the Jewish holiday of Simchat Torah, the militant Palestinian group Hamas launched Operation Al-Aqsa Flood, a surprise attack against Israel. Its military wing, the Al-Qassam Brigades, fired thousands of rockets from the Gaza Strip...
Israel – Hamas 2023 Symposium – The Legal Context of Operations Al-Aqsa Flood and Swords of Iron
On Saturday morning, the armed wing of Hamas, the Izz ad-Din al-Qassam Brigades, launched Operation Al-Aqsa Flood, a brutal surprise attack into Israel that included a barrage of over 3,000 missiles and the air, sea, and land penetration of Israeli territory. This was...
Islamic Jihadism and the Laws of War
In my position as the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) regional legal coordinator in the Middle East and North Africa for the last ten years, I’ve had the sad privilege to witness the ugly wars between various States and the Islamic jihadist groups that...
Military Aid to Russia and International Law
North Korea’s leader, Kim Jong-un, is in Russia to discuss military support, including supplying artillery shells and rockets, for Russian operations against Ukraine. In the past, North Korea has supplied the Wagner Group with arms and ammunition. Its support to...
Russia’s Interdiction of Neutral Merchant Vessels and the Law of the Sea
On August 12, 2023, the Russian patrol ship Vasily Bykov intercepted the Turkish-owned, Palau-flagged merchant ship Sukru Okan in the Black Sea between its point of embarkation in Chalkis, Greece and its destination of Izmail, Ukraine. The incident occurred less than...
The Mission Against IS-affiliate Ansar al-Sunna in Mozambique: Does the Law of NIAC Apply?
In October 2017, Ansar al-Sunna, a non-State group, initiated a violent conflict in Cabo Delgado, Mozambique. In April 2018, the group pledged allegiance to the Islamic State (IS) and, from 2019, IS endorsed its activities. In March 2021, the U.S. government...
The Anti-ISIL Coalition, Civilian Harm, and the Obligation to Investigate
This post is drawn from the author’s article-length work, “How Does the Obligation to Investigate Alleged Serious Violations of International Humanitarian Law Apply in Ad Hoc Military Coalitions?” appearing in The Military Law and the Law of War Review. In recent...
Ukraine Symposium – Territorial Acquisition and Armed Conflict
Soon after the outbreak of its international armed conflict with Ukraine in 2014, Russia annexed Crimea. Eight years later, it also annexed territory around the four Ukrainian oblasts of Donetsk, Luhansk, Kherson, and Zaporizhzhia. In each case, the annexations, which...
Merchant Shipping as Military Objectives and Naval Economic Warfare
On July 17, 2023, within 48 hours of the suspension of the Black Sea Grain Initiative, Russia and Ukraine made pivotal declarations potentially expanding the scope of their hostilities to a hitherto unprecedented scale. Both States declared their willingness to...
Can the Black Sea Grain Initiative Continue Without Russian Participation?
On July 17, 2023, the Black Sea Grain Initiative expired after Russia refused to extend the term of the UN-brokered accord that has “facilitated the export of more than 30 million tonnes of Ukrainian grain to global markets via three Black Sea ports.” Russia...
