In the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, when is an attack a war crime?

Smoke rises after Israeli airstrikes in the Gaza Strip, as seen from the Israeli side of the border on May 17. (Atef Safadi/EPA-EFE/Shutterstock)

The ongoing conflict between Israel and Palestinian militant groups in Gaza has led to fierce accusations of war crimes, on both sides.

Palestinian deaths climbed to 200 Monday, including more than 50 children as of Sunday evening, according to local health officials, amid hundreds of Israeli airstrikes.

Israeli actions have come under particular scrutiny, as the toll remains lopsided: Ten Israelis have been killed, according to authorities, as thousands of rockets from the Gaza Strip rain down over the country, many of which have been intercepted by Israel’s Iron Dome air defense system.

On Monday, advocacy group Reporters Without Borders called on the International Criminal Court to investigate as a possible war crime an Israeli strike this weekend that destroyed a building in the Gaza Strip housing several international news outlets.

Meanwhile, rockets fired indiscriminately into Israeli land by Hamas, the group that controls Gaza, and by other militants, have been described as war crimes by groups that ally themselves with Israel.

But war crimes investigations are never simple, with huge discrepancies in power and fatalities, and the institutions of international law have long struggled to deal with the conflict between Israel and Palestinian groups.

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