The government’s rhetoric in response to the death of the Australian aid worker is stronger than we’d previously seen, but in a conflict with no clear solutions, little will change.
The exterior of Shifa hospital in Gaza City is seen on Nov. 10, 2023, amid ongoing battles between Israel and Hamas near the facility.
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Benjamin Jensen, American University School of International Service
The Taliban and the Islamic State group are among the militant groups that have been known to use civilians as human shields in the past, in order to try to shift their opponents’ war calculations.
Investigating the site of the explosion outside al-Ahli Arab Hospital, as seen on Oct. 18, 2023, first requires independent, credible experts to have access to the area in question.
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The hospital blast site has largely been cleared, Hamas says. But a forensic scientist explains what other evidence independent experts could look to while conducting an investigation.
Palestinian children play outside an UNRWA school following Israeli airstrikes on Oct. 12, 2023.
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Many people in Gaza are reliant on the United Nations and other international aid groups to meet their basic needs, like food and medical care. A scholar of peace and conflict economics explains why.
There are unconfirmed reports that Russia has used chemical weapons in Ukraine. Syria’s recent chemical weapons use offers context for understanding this tactic. Chemical weapons terrify civilians.
A Ukrainian soldier observes a destroyed shopping mall in Kyiv on March 29, 2022.
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Russia denies targeting civilians. But it was the same with its bombing campaign in Syria.
A resident sits outside a destroyed apartment building after it was hit by artillery shelling in Kyiv, Ukraine, on March 14, 2022.
(AP Photo/Felipe Dana)
Military behaviour usually becomes more restrained when troops feel securely in control of a city. That means Ukrainian civilians may bear the brunt of growing Russian military frustration.
Evacuees from Ukraine stand under a destroyed bridge as they flee the city of Irpin on March 7, 2022.
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Tens of thousands of Ukrainians are using humanitarian corridors to leave the country. But these routes are often announced for political reasons and do not always offer safety