Middle East Conflict: All Parties Flouting Laws of War as Civilian Death Toll Mounts

Last updated: 16 September 2026

Photo: Mark Reidy
Human Rights Watch issued a major report on March 26, 2026 documenting widespread violations of international humanitarian law by all parties to the ongoing Middle East conflict. The report warns that world leaders' rhetoric and actions are actively undermining the fundamental protections that international humanitarian law provides for civilians, and calls for a coordinated, comprehensive, and impartial approach to accountability. HRW submitted an oral statement on the same theme to the UN Human Rights Council's urgent debate at its 61st session on March 25.

A Pattern of Violations

Human Rights Watch has documented an escalating pattern of attacks on civilians, civilian infrastructure, and protected sites across the conflict zone. The organisation notes that multiple parties to the conflict — including state and non-state actors — are carrying out attacks that either directly target civilians or fail to take adequate precautions to minimise civilian harm, in violation of customary international humanitarian law.

The report follows HRW's earlier documentation of Iranian attacks on civilian ships in the Strait of Hormuz, Israel's use of white phosphorus in Lebanon, and attacks on energy infrastructure across the region. HRW notes that when powerful actors treat international humanitarian law as optional, it creates a permissive environment in which other parties follow suit — with devastating consequences for civilian populations.

UN Human Rights Council Urgent Debate

At the HRC's 61st session on March 25, HRW delivered an oral statement calling for a coordinated, comprehensive, and impartial approach to all violations. The statement emphasised that accountability cannot be selective: all parties must be held to the same standards under international law, and investigations must be independent of political pressure from any of the conflict's parties or their allies.

HRW warned that the credibility of the international human rights system depends on its willingness to apply universal standards. Selective accountability — condemning violations by some parties while ignoring identical conduct by others — erodes the legitimacy of international law and emboldens further violations.

Calls for Action

Human Rights Watch called on world leaders to publicly defend and reinforce international humanitarian law rather than treating it as a diplomatic inconvenience. It called for immediate investigations into all credible reports of war crimes, support for International Criminal Court jurisdiction over all parties, and a ceasefire to allow humanitarian access to civilian populations.

The organisation also called on states that supply weapons to parties to the conflict to immediately suspend such supplies where there is a credible risk they will be used in violations of international humanitarian law, consistent with obligations under international arms transfer law.

Source: Human Rights Watch — Middle East Conflict: Rhetoric, Actions Flout Laws of War (March 26, 2026)