Concerns have been raised over the safety of civilians as the Israeli ground offensive in Gaza continues. Combat in densely populated urban areas has sparked concern for the security of civilians, and Human Rights groups have emphasised the need for both sides to stringently abide by the laws of war. These include taking all feasible measures to avoid harm to civilians, and facilitating access for humanitarian workers and medical personnel to the injured.

Both sides have engaged in practices that put civilians at risk of serious harm. Hamas and other Palestinian armed groups have been firing rockets from and to densely populated areas, placing many civilians at risk. Human Rights Watch has conducted investigations into previous ground operations undertaken by the Israel Defence Forces (IDF) in Gaza and the West Bank, and found evidence of unlawful killings. The IDF’s last major ground operation in Gaza, from February to March 2008, resulted in the killing of 107 Palestinians (over half of whom were civilians) and wounding of more than 200. An investigation of that operation found serious violations committed by the IDF. These included the killing of a wounded man receiving treatment in an ambulance, the shooting of two civilians on donkey carts, and the shooting of two men in IDF custody. Twice, IDF tank crews opened fire on unarmed civilians. Palestinian medics and ambulance drivers were hampered in their efforts to treat the wounded and dead with one medic being killed from arms fire.

During the same operation, Hamas and other Palestinian armed political groups placed civilians at risk by firing rockets from densely populated areas and storing weapons in civilian structures- acts that directly violate the rules of war.

Other instances from past hostilities illustrate how both sides have failed to take adequate steps to remove civilians from areas where there was fighting, putting them at unnecessary risk. Although in 2005 an Israeli Supreme Court ruling banned the previously standard IDF practice of forcing civilians (sometimes at gunpoint) to accompany troops during their searches of homes, there is a general lack of accountability for past violations of the laws of war.