War on essential infrastructure is war on civilians.
It must stop. Every effort to de-escalate is critical.
Deliberate attacks on essential services and civilian infrastructure can amount to war crimes.
We are seeing energy, fuel, water and health-care infrastructure damaged and destroyed. This disturbing trend is not limited to the Middle East or the last three weeks; it has been pervasive in conflicts across regions.
But what we have seen in recent days in the Middle East risks reaching a point of no return.
Most alarming is the potential harm to nuclear facilities, whether deliberate or incidental. Damage to these sites could trigger irreversible consequences, which is why they are afforded heightened protections under the rules of war.
Attacks on essential infrastructure have already punished millions of civilians both near and far from the front lines. This pattern, combined with an escalatory rhetoric that disregards the limits imposed by international humanitarian law, normalizes a style of warfare that strips away our shared humanity.
Respecting the dignity of civilians is the basis for de-escalation and political solutions from which peace and stability can be built.
