During theGaza war there have been a very large number of incidents of deliberate killings of people who werenon-combatants. In addition to unarmed civilians, many of the soldiers and militants who were killed - and often reported simply as militants or soldiers, as if they died in combat - were not actively engaging in hostilities at their time of death. There have also been many allegedassassinations,summary executions,deaths in custody, or otherextrajudicial killings, with varying amounts of evidence.
Background
International law regarding killing unarmed military
International law tests state actors and irregular militants equally.[1] Even if an individual is a member of a military or other armed group, there are situations when killing them is awar crime. For example, if they are wounded,[2][3] if they surrender voluntarily, or if they are already a prisoner of war.[4]
On Friday 24 November 2023, two Palestinian men were killed by other Palestinians inTulkarm in the West Bank.[5] TheTulkarm Brigade Rapid Response group, who theTimes of Israel described as a local militant group affiliated with theAl-Aqsa Martyrs Brigades, posted a cryptic statement on Telegram just after the two men were reported killed, “We did not wrong them, but they wronged themselves”.[6][5] Possibly a reference to verse 10:44 of the Qur'an, fromSurah Yunus (the book of Jonah)[7]Arabic:إِنَّ ٱللَّهَ لَا يَظْلِمُ ٱلنَّاسَ شَيْـًۭٔا وَلَـٰكِنَّ ٱلنَّاسَ أَنفُسَهُمْ يَظْلِمُونَ,lit.'Indeed, god does not wrong people in the least, but it is people who wrong themselves.'[8]
This occurred shortly after six militants, including three battalion leaders, were killed inTulkarm.[9]
The IDF claimedFayeq Mabhouh,[a] the police officer, who waskilled during theAl-Shifa Hospital siege (seebelow), had been appointed to intimidate local Gazan clans in order to thwart them from cooperating with Israel on guarding the distribution of humanitarian aid,[10] and accused him of "orchestrating" theexecution of the leader of theDoghmush clan the week before he was killed.[11][12] The clan allegedly denied this, and claimed the leader and his family were killed by an airstrike.[13] Israel and Gaza's government were competing to win over the clans.[14] It was rumoured that a large part of the Israeli motive for killing Mabhouh was the failure of the Israeli plan to replace the police in Gaza with the clans (such as theDoghmush clan) to distribute aid and enforce the law.[15]
Israeli forces disguised as medical staff and civilian Muslim women have shot dead three Palestinians inside a hospital in the West Bank city ofJenin.[16][17] The hospital says the men were ‘assassinated’. Israel says they belonged to a ‘Hamas terrorist cell’.[18] The BBC referred to the men who were killed as "members of Palestinian armed groups".[19]
The spokesperson for the hospital, Tawfiq al-Shobaki, said there was no exchange of fire in the hospital, just the assassination of a patient.[16] He also said that all three men who died were asleep at the time of the attack.[20]
According to experts from theUnited Nations, the killing of three Palestinian men in a hospital in the occupied West Bank by Israeli commandos disguised as medical workers and civilians may amount to war crimes.[16][17] Unarmed members of the military are allowed to be taken prisoner but not killed.[21] Wounded combatants are further protected under theGeneva Conventions, they are not allowed to be killed or captured,[21][22] but they may be kept as prisoners of war after they recover if they are treated at enemy hospitals.[23]
Deaths for breaching the security fence
Salahuddin Suleiman Shawamra and Najmuddin Shawamra were killed while illegally crossing the Israel-West Bank security fence, which bisects land that their family owns, in February 2024. Their brother, Noureddin, was also shot and was mildly wounded.[24] Reporters fromHaaretz argue that the men should have been arrested instead of killed, and that the soldiers could also have fired warnings shots to give the men a chance to escape home before resorting to lethal force.[25]
One of the first homes hit was that of theAbu Qouta family, late at night on 7 October 2023. Nineteen members of the family were killed, the youngest was a baby under one year old.[28][29][30][31][32] The strike killed 19 members of the Abu Qouta family and 5 other people who were nearby.[33]
Al-Hasayna and Abu Sharia families
On 23 November 2023 the homes of the Al-Hasayna (Arabic:الحساينة) and Abu Sharia (Arabic:أبو شريعة) families were hit by anairstrike, local media named 93 Palestinian civilians in a list of martyrs from the event, 38 from the Abu Sharia family, 54 from the Al-Hasayneh family, and one person called Walid Ziara (Arabic:وليد زيارة).[34][35] Neither side acknowledged a possible target, and only civilians casualties were reported.[34][35] Neither side acknowledged a possible target, but the families are described elsewhere as relatives of the leaders and founders of thePalestinian Mujahideen Movement.[36] TheMujahudeen Movement and their armed wing, theMujahideen Brigades, are a relatively small and insignificant faction in the conflict.[37] But they were holding three members of theBibas family hostage. Then on 29 November, during hostage negotiations, it was announced that Shiri Bibas and her children had been killed in an Israeli air strike while in captivity, most media credited this claim to "Hamas".[38]
In the Southern Lebanon
Australian brothers in Bint Jbeil
Family homes were also hit in Southern Lebanon, in a residential area ofBint Jbeil. Killing two brothers Ali Ahmed Bazzi and Ibrahim Bazzi (27), and Ibrahim's wife Shorouq Hammond.[39] The brothers are both Australian citizens, Ali lived locally but Ibrahim was visiting from Sydney to bring his wife home to Australia.[39]Hezbollah claimed Ali as one of their fighters, and also included the civilian family members in a Hezbollah funeral.[39]
OHCHR stated on 20 December it had received allegations of Israeli soldiers summarily killing at least eleven unarmed men inRimal.[40]Al Jazeera reported that the numbersummarily executed was 15, killed during an apartment raid. The execution was witnessed by the families of the men.[41]Middlesex University professorWilliam Schabas stated, "It's not really important to demonstrate that they're civilians. Summary executions even of fighters, even of combatants is a war crime."[42]Euro-Med Monitor told Al Jazeera they believe there is a pattern of "systematic" killing, that "In at least 13 of field executions, we corroborated that it was arbitrary on the part of the Israeli forces."[43] On 26 December 2023, Euro-Med Monitor submitted a file to the International Criminal Court and United Nations special rapporteurs documenting dozens of cases of field executions carried out by Israeli forces and calling for an investigation.[44][45][46] In March 2024, video of an IDF soldier bragging about killing an elderly deaf man hiding under his bed was released, leading theCouncil on American-Islamic Relations to condemn the killing as an execution and war crime.[47][48] The Israeli military stated they would begin a probe into the incident.[49]Defense officials toldHaaretz that the Israeli army had createdkill zones in Gaza, in which any person who crossed an "invisible line" was killed.[50]
A mass grave with 283 bodies was uncovered in April 2024 at Khan Younis's Nasser medical complex in the southern Gaza city. 30 bodies were buried in two graves in the courtyard of Al-Shifa Hospital in Gaza City.[51][52] Reportedly, bodies were found with their hands and feet tied.[53] Following the discovery of the mass graves, UN human rights chiefVolker Türk called for an independent investigation on the intentional killing of civilians by the IDF and stated the "intentional killing of civilians, detainees, and others who are hors de combat is a war crime."[54][55] A spokesperson for theU.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights described the discoveries, stating, "Some of them had their hands tied, which of course indicates serious violations of international human rights law and international humanitarian law, and these need to be subjected to further investigations".[56]William Schabas, a Canadian expert on international human rights law, stated mass graves have "always been an indication that war crimes have been committed".[57]
During an IDFraid onAl-Shifa Hospital inGaza City, Faiq Mabhouh[b] (Arabic:فائق المبحوح,romanized: Fāy'q el-Mapħouħ, also spelledArabic:فايق المبحوح) was killed in what sources based on reports from the IDF described as a firefight between"Hamas militants" or "terrorists" and Israeli troops.[58][59][60][61] but some Palestinian aligned sources describe as an assassination.[62][63][64][65] They mostly don't dispute that Faiq fired on the Israeli forces who approached him, but they frame the situation differently as to who was the aggressor.[66][58][67]The raid was launched at approximately 2:30 am, by troops from theIDF’s 401st Armored Brigade and other units, including special forces and theShin Bet security agency encircling the hospital.[58]Before the IDF found Faiq (in or near the hospital) they raided his family home and kicked out his wife and children.[66][59] Faiq’s brother was captured in a neighbourhood near the hospital.[66]According to theIDF, Faiq Mabhouh refused to surrender to troops and instead continued firing at Israeli security forces until he was killed.[10] The IDF initially claimed to have killed 20 other "terrorists" alongside Fayeq.[60] The IDF claimed that by the evening of Monday 18 March, their troops had killed 20 "Hamas" gunmen inside the hospital premises and another 20 were killed in the surrounding area.[58]Some sources suggest that the gun battle happened outside the hospital.[66] The exact circumstances of his death are unverifiable.They sides disagree on the implied or explicit purpose of removing Faiq from power (and the war as a whole). Israeli-aligned sources frame it as removing a threat to Israel,[58][68][61] but there is no indication that he has had any role in attacks on Israel while working as part of Gaza's civilian administration.[69][66] Palestinian aligned sources described the goal as the destruction of Palestine,[63] by starving the people, and preventing independent Palestinian control of the Gaza Strip.[63] International sources often came closer to the Palestinian framing of the situation or present that version of events as more credible.[70][71]
The Israel Arabic account of the Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs on the X platform announced the killing of Mabhouh, describing him as, "the head of the Operations Directorate of the Internal Security Service of the Hamas terrorist organization."[15]Hamas released an extremely strongly worded statement, in which they claimed the killing of a civilian police officer was a violation of international law.[72] It read, in part,"This terrorist crime, by targeting civilian police protected under international humanitarian law, is further evidence of the Nazi enemy’s efforts to spread chaos, undermine societal peace in the Gaza Strip, and perpetuate the state of famine from which our people suffer, in implementation of the plan of a war of extermination and the displacement of our people from their land."[72][73]Arabic language social media speculated about the motives for the killing and the attack on the hospital, with comments such as, "The trucks passed over the past two days peacefully, without chaos, massacres, stampedes, wounded, or martyrs, but the criminal occupation does not like it."[15] It was rumoured that a large part of the Israeli motive was the failure of the Israeli plan to replace the police in Gaza with the clans (such as theDoghmush clan) to distribute aid and enforce the law.[15]
Israeli forces assassinated a police chief and his deputy inAl-Mowasi, accusing them of violating the rights of Gazans and planning attacks on the IDF. Hamas stated that civilians perished in the attack.[74]
Portrait of photojournalistFatima Hassouna, by Andrea Ebert. On 16 April 2025, she and ten members of her family, including her pregnant sister, were killed by an Israeli missile. Fatima Hassouna was the protagonist of the documentaryPut Your Soul on Your Hand and Walk.[75]
Thekilling of journalists in the Gaza war, overwhelminglyPalestinians killed byIsrael, along with other acts ofviolence against journalists, marks the deadliest period for journalists in theIsraeli–Palestinian conflict since 1992 and the single deadliest conflict for journalists in all known conflicts in the history of the world, according to theCosts of War Project.[76][77][78] According to theUnited Nations, the number of Palestinian journalists killed by Israel since the start of the war stood at 242 by 11 August 2025.[79][80] On the other hand, theCommittee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) reported that 192 journalists, at least 184 of them Palestinian, had been killed by Israel as of 10 August 2025[update][81][82] while theInternational Federation of Journalists (IFJ) reported the killing of at least 180 Palestinian journalists and media workers by Israel as of 11 August 2025[update].[83] A July 2024 count by the Gaza Government Media Office placed the number of Palestinian journalists killed by Israel at 160.[84][85] By January 2025, Israel had reportedly killed 42 more Palestinian journalists to raise this number to 202,[86] and by July 2025, it had reportedly killed 15 more journalists to raise the number to 217.[87] An aggregation of data from multiple sources, including from the CPJ and the IFJ, which listed the names of all journalists hitherto reported to have been killed by Israel concluded that, by 11 August 2025, Israel had killed up to 274 journalists, with 269 of them Palestinian.[88]
The head of the Committee to Protect Journalists stated in 2024, "Israel's war on Gaza is more deadly to journalists than any previous war".[89][90] Israeli airstrikes additionally damaged or destroyed an estimated 48 media facilities in Gaza.Reporters Without Borders has reported that the Israeli army intentionally targeted Palestinian journalists.[91]The Guardian stated that contrary to international law, Israel had targeted Hamas-affiliated Palestinian journalists despite their non-involvement in combat, thus disputing Israel's denial of targeting journalists.[92] In 2023, nearly 75% of journalists killed worldwide were Palestinians who had died in Israel’s war in Gaza.[93][92] According to the Committee to Protect Journalists, Israel was the second worst country in the world for allowing the murderers of journalists to go unpunished.[94] In December 2025,Reporters Without Borders declared Israel as the biggest killer and "the worst enemy" of journalists of 2025, with nearly half of all journalists who were killed of that year, were murdered by theIDF.[95][96]
UNESCO awarded its 2024 World Press Freedom Prize to the Palestinian journalists of Gaza.[97]
A protestor holding up a sign ofIssam Abdallah during mass demonstrations in London, 29 October 2023
Since the beginning of theIsrael–Hezbollah conflict on 8 October 2023, theIsraeli Defense Forces has killed ten journalists and injured at least 15 others in multiple incidents near theLebanon–Israel border and in Syria. Lebanese residents have also attacked journalists covering the war from Hezbollah controlled areas which injured multiple and one instance resulted in the death of a Lebanese civilian guide.
Reactions
Following the killing of Ismail Haniyeh,Pope Francis denounced "attacks, even targeted ones, and killings", because "they do not help to walk in the path of justice, the path of peace, but generate even more hatred and revenge".[99] The foreign ministries of Qatar and Egypt stated they believed Israel's assassination of Haniyeh would impact the chances of a ceasefire deal, with the Qatari Prime Minister SheikhMohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani writing, "Peace needs serious partners & a global stance against the disregard for human life."[100]
^abThe spelling ofFaiq Al-Mabhouh's name in English is extremely variable, including "Faiq Al-Mabhouh", "Fayek Mabhouh", and others.ManyArabic surnames start with an "Al" (Arabic:ال), this is sometimes omitted in English, but sometimes retained.The most commonRomanisations of his first name are "Fayeq",[101][102] "Fayek",[103][104] and "Faiq",[105][106] but there are numerous other ways, ending inQ, K, G, e.g. "Fayeg",[107] or even CK, e.g. Faack.[59] TheHebrew spelling is less variable (Hebrew:פאיק).[108]His full name isArabic:فائق عبد الرؤوف المبحوح,romanized: Faiq Abdel Raouf Al-Mabhouh.[66][62]
^Bouchet-Saulnier, Françoise."The Practical Guide to Humanitarian Law".Médecins Sans Frontières. Retrieved6 June 2024.A combatant who recovers while in the hands of an adverse party then becomes a prisoner of war, at which point he or she comes under the provisions protecting such persons.
^Fabian, Emanuel (20 February 2024)."IDF finds video of Bibas family in Gaza, 'very concerned' for mother, youngest hostages".www.australianjewishnews.com. Retrieved21 July 2024.The IDF spokesman said the clips are from a Khan Younis military post belonging to the Mujahideen Brigades terror group, a relatively small armed faction in the Gaza Strip that is somewhat allied with the coastal enclave's Hamas rulers.
^abcDyett, Greg (28 December 2023)."Australian man, his wife and brother killed in air strike".SBS News. Retrieved26 June 2024.Local media in Lebanon says an Israeli war plane fired a missile at a number of homes in Lebanon's Bint Jbei area. A missile strike killed 27-year-old Ibraham Bazzi, his brother Ali Bazzi and Ibrahim's wife Shorouk Hammond. Ms Hammoud had recently acquired an Australian visa and she and her husband Ibrahim were planning a life in Australia.Afif Bazzi (Mayor of Bint Jbeil):"It was a surprise that the Israelis hit a civilian neighbourhood, people are living normally, they have not fled. We did not flee Bint Jbeil, all residents are still in Bint Jbeil. We hear the bombardment and the shelling but it was still far away, the town was neutral but we were surprised that a civilian neighbourhood was hit, civilians, a groom who came from Australia to take his bride. They were spending time together along with his brother at his brother’s house, really it was a surprise for us." (translation bySBS World News)
^Al-mughrabi, Nidal (20 March 2024)."Palestinian clans and factions step in to protect Gaza aid".The Japan Times.Archived from the original on 2 June 2024. Retrieved9 June 2024.Quote from a Palestinian official who asked not to be named: "Israel's plan to find some clans to collaborate with its pilot projects of finding an alternative to Hamas didn't succeed but it also showed that Palestinian resistance factions are the only ones who can run the show, in one way or another."
^ab"A Terrorist Crime: The First Comment From Hamas On The Assassination Of Brigadier General Fayeq Al-Mabhouh".قناة الغد www.alghad.tv (in Arabic). 18 March 2024.Archived from the original on 29 May 2024. Retrieved30 May 2024.Quote in Arabic: "هذه الجريمة الإرهابية باستهداف الشرطة المدنية المحمية بموجب القانون الدولي الإنساني هي دليل إضافي على سعي العدو النازي لنشر الفوضى، وضرب السلم المجتمعي في القطاع، وإدامة حالة المجاعة التي يعاني منها أهلنا، تنفيذا لمخطط حرب الإبادة وتهجير شعبنا عن أرضه."
.jpg)
