Israel has given the North of Gaza 24 hours warning to evacuate half of the Gaza territory.
UN says it's simply not possible to evacuate 1.1 million people in that time.
So far Israel has refused to withdraw its warning.
It's very much like giving residents too little time to evacuate a multi-storey apartment block before it's destroyed, it's a physical impossibility.
What Israel's objective is, is to occupy the North of Gaza, further squeezing Gazeans into a smaller open-air prison, one half the size of their current prison.
A central tenet of international humanitarian law, which is applicable to all participants, not only state actors, is that civilians should not be targeted. Additionally, it dictates that an attack must not be carried out if it is “expected to cause incidental loss of civilian life, injury to civilians, damage to civilian objects, or a combination thereof” that would be excessive in relation to the anticipated military gains.
Self defence, as cited by
Israel in its response, is one of the justifications for war, with article 51 of the UN charter preserving this right “if an armed attack occurs”. However, the exercise of this right of self-defence is still subject to international humanitarian law. In other words, the lawful exercise of self-defence does not allow a state to have recourse to unlimited means, and is subject to
jus in bello to minimise suffering in armed conflicts.
Israel is not a member of the ICC but
Palestine joined in 2015, and crimes committed on the territory of Palestine (by any national, including non-Palestinians) and by Palestinian nationals (within its territory or outside) may fall within the jurisdiction of the ICC.
War Law@the Guardian
When Israel sends troops and tanks into Gaza the clock will begin ticking on their ability to conclude military operations swiftly, causing as few casualties and inflicting as little damage as possible before Palestinian protests across Europe begin to influence public opinion. Hamas will dig in and fight like rats, hoping to drag Hezbollah into the war in the North. I suspect America will tell the Israeli government they have two weeks to get it done as they're already supporting Ukraine and costing them a rich man's ransom in the process, annoying House Republicans and distracting Democrats from Biden's economic agenda.