Operational Update: Herat Earthquake’s One-month
November 7th marked one month since the first of a series of three earthquakes - with a magnitude of 6.3 - and multiple aftershocks, jolted the western Afghan province of Herat. The earthquakes were …
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Israel and the occupied territories: Ambulances arrive at Rafah crossing; ICRC calls for the protection of medical facilities and personnel
06-11-2023 Geneva (ICRC) - A convoy of four ambulances transporting patients from Al Shifa Hospital in Gaza city arrived at the Rafah crossing at the border with Egypt on Monday. Two vehicles …
The protection of hospitals during armed conflicts: What the law says
According to international humanitarian law (IHL), health establishments and units, including hospitals, should not be attacked. This protection extends to the wounded and sick as well as to medical …
“Yachay”– seventeenth annual regional human rights moot court competition
A chance to take international humanitarian law out of the classroom and into the real world. During the week of 16–20 October 2023, the seventeenth edition of the "Yachay" regional human rights …
Artificial intelligence and humanitarianism at Chatham House event
The risks and opportunities presented by artificial intelligence (AI) in conflict settings were laid bare at an event at Chatham House on Monday night. In the week when the UK is hosting an AI Safety …
Care amid conflict: Stories of four Florence Nightingale Medal 2023 recipients
The Florence Nightingale Medal is awarded to nurses who display exceptional courage and devotion to victims of armed conflict or natural disaster or to those who display exemplary service in the …
Nairobi: Senior military officers from over 60 countries meet to discuss laws of war
More than 80 senior military officers from more than 62 countries have convened in Nairobi at a high-level workshop on the laws of war and their application in military operations. The Senior …
EVENT: Protecting Children During War in Cities
Landmines, airstrikes, snipers – in cities across the world, children's lives and futures are irrevocably changed by urban warfare. Urban warfare causes a staggering number of deaths and injuries …
Pakistan: Book published on Islamic response to addressing sexual violence during war
International humanitarian law (IHL) and international human rights law (IHRL) include rules and laws regarding sexual violence, in addition to the provisions under domestic legal frameworks. …
Israel and the Occupied Territories: Rising violence in the West Bank may have irreversible consequences for communities
ICRC Geneva- The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) fears that the alarming levels of violence in the West Bank may lead to irreversible consequences for its communities. Since January …
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Created in 1863, the ICRC library, alongside the ICRC archives, provides an indispensable documentary reference on the organization itself and international humanitarian law.
IHL treaties
International humanitarian law is based on a number of treaties, in particular the Geneva Conventions of 1949 and their Additional Protocols, and a series of other instruments.
Customary IHL
Customary international humanitarian law consists of rules that come from "a general practice accepted as law" and that exist independent of treaty law.