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What are the rules of war? And how do they apply to Israel's actions in Gaza?_我的网站

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    Zhuo Qiang (L) talks with Simon Msago, a Maasai community leader in Ngoswani, in Narok, Kenya, Aug. 12, 2026. (Xinhua/Liu Qiong)As dawn breaks over Ol Kinyei Conservancy in Kenya's Maasai Mara ecosystem, rangers are already combing the grasslands for signs of unauthorized entry and poaching while keeping a close watch on wildlife.
Among them is Chinese conservationist Zhuo Qiang, nicknamed "Simba," the Swahili word for lion. For him, this early-morning routine is driven by a broader mission to achieve human-wildlife coexistence.
In 2010, Zhuo left his job in China at the age of 37 and embarked on a less-traveled path: pursuing wildlife conservation in Kenya.
Without professional training in wildlife conservation, he found himself in a territory then dominated by Western organizations and local practitioners.
But Zhuo decided to stay. "I wanted to prove that Chinese people could also do wildlife conservation," he said.
Initially, Zhuo saw conservation largely through the lens of wildlife science: working in the field, studying animals and collecting data.
Living and working with Maasai communities changed that perspective. "The fate of wildlife was closely tied to the people sharing the same land," he said.
In the Maasai Mara ecosystem, livestock grazing is deeply connected to the livelihoods of pastoral communities. "If local people are asked to stop grazing but are given no alternative source of income, conservation cannot be sustainable," Zhuo said.
That principle laid the foundation for his work with the local community in establishing the Ol Kinyei Conservancy.
The area had suffered from prolonged overgrazing, with plants and the land itself deteriorating. Under the conservation model, local grazing land was leased and gradually restored, allowing vegetation to recover and creating a more suitable habitat for wildlife, said Zhuo.
Meanwhile, households participating in the scheme receive land-rental income and have access to jobs such as wildlife rangers and tourism workers. Their average annual income has increased from around 500 U.S. dollars to about 3,700 dollars, according to Zhuo.
Some residents from surrounding communities also learned from the experience and brought the approach back to their own grazing areas.
Nowadays, 26 private conservancies have been established around the Maasai Mara National Reserve, covering about 1,600 square km, according to Zhuo.
He believes the network of community conservancies provides additional safe space for wildlife to move and survive, extending conservation efforts beyond the boundaries of a single national reserve and into surrounding communities.
Simon Msago, a Maasai community leader in Ngoswani, said Zhuo's work encouraged more residents to take an active role in conservation.
In the past, many residents saw few direct benefits from wildlife conservation and had limited awareness of its importance. Today, community members are increasingly willing to work as rangers and protect wildlife, creating an effective layer of protection around the conservancies, Msago said.
"Human-wildlife conflict cannot be solved simply through restrictions and prohibitions. The key is to create alternative sources of income so that residents can gain tangible benefits from conservation," Zhuo said.
"That is what makes community-based conservation sustainable -- allowing local people to become part of wildlife conservation rather than bystanders with no stake in it."
While continuing his work in the Maasai Mara, Zhuo has also sought to strengthen exchanges between China and Africa in wildlife conservation.
In recent years, he has visited more than 30 nature reserves and national parks in China, sharing his experiences of community-based conservation in Africa with Chinese counterparts.
"Conservation practices in China and Africa each have their own characteristics, and there is much that the two sides can learn from each other," he added.
    Zhuo Qiang (C) checks the chickens raised by local residents in Narok, Kenya, Aug. 12, 2026. (Xinhua/Liu Qiong)
。    Six days after a brutal attack by armed Hamas militants on Israeli civilians, Israel ordered an evacuation of more than 1 million Palestinians in northern Gaza ahead of what could be an unprecedented ground offensive there against Hamas."We are going to destroy Hamas infrastructures, Hamas headquarters, Hamas military," vowed Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant as airstrikes were underway.The U.S. and other nations have repeatedly warned Israel to follow the "rules of war."But what are they? And will they prevent civilians from being hurt?Here's what to know about international humanitarian laws and how they might apply in the Israeli-Hamas conflict in Gaza.

Is Israel bound by the rules of war?

Yes.Israel has promised to abide by international humanitarian law including those under the Geneva Convention that seeks to minimize the impact on civilians, provide aid to the wounded on the battlefield, and not to mistreat prisoners of war.In general, the U.S. military and Israeli Defense Force also rely on similar rules of engagement in military operations.Israel insists it follows the rules of war and always has.But there is disagreement by international groups about exactly what qualifies as a violation in a country's quest to defend itself against terror attacks, as well as whether Israel could be prosecuted through the International Criminal Court -- an entity Israel doesn't recognize.Officials at the United Nations and European Union have accused Israel of already violating its promise not to harm civilians by cutting water and electricity to all of Gaza residents, including to hospitals. They also say it's impossible to ensure the safety of so many civilians by giving only 24 hours to evacuate to avoid the fighting.Palestinian health authorities estimate 1,799 civilians have been killed in Israeli airstrikes, including 583 children, following Hamas' attacks that have killed at least 1,300 Israelis.Ravina Shamdasani, spokesperson for the Office of the U.N. High Commissioner for Human rights, said Hamas' brutality doesn't "liberate" Israel from adhering to international humanitarian laws."It is absolutely crucial that Israeli leaders and global leaders make it unambiguously clear that international humanitarian law is an obligation. It is not optional, and that military operations must be conducted in full compliance with international law," she said.President Joe Biden said he delivered that message directly to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu this week, later telling reporters "that it is really important that Israel, with all the anger and frustration … they operate by the rules of war.""And there are rules of war," Biden added.

How would the rules apply in this conflict? Would civilians be spared?

Avoiding harm to civilians though can fall into a gray area, particularly when it comes to a massive ground operation unfolding on a remarkably narrow strip of land. Gaza is among the most populated areas on Earth, roughly 7.5 miles at its widest and 25 miles long with some 2 million inhabitants.Eric Oehlerich, a retired Navy SEAL and ABC News contributor, said that even with sophisticated weaponry, such an operation would be extraordinarily difficult to carry out with no civilians harmed."There isn't a force in the world that can deal with 40,000 (enemy) soldiers interspersed with civilians in that densely populated area" and have "zero" civilian deaths, said Oehlerich."It's impossible," he added.One question will be what constitutes a valid military target, said Mick Mulroy, a former deputy assistant secretary of defense for the Middle East and retired CIA paramilitary operations officer.Israel says that Hamas -- which doesn't abide by humanitarian laws in its deliberate attack on civilians last week -- uses Palestinian civilians and hospitals as shields."If Hamas holds up in a building -- whether it's a hospital or mosque -- it becomes a valid military target," said Mulroy, also an ABC contributor. "That said, every reasonable step should be taken to eliminate or reduce civilian casualties (and) has to be done."

What does all this mean for hostages held by Hamas and US citizens inside Gaza?

Oehlerich, who has participated in military operations to free hostages, said getting those hostages out using military force will also be extraordinarily tough. That's because Hamas will likely have gone to great lengths to hide the hostages, including possibly rigging secret tunnels or even the hostages themselves with explosives.Oehlerich said success is more likely to come through backchannel negotiations with countries like Egypt and Qatar.Israeli officials say its special operations forces have been operating inside Gaza in past days trying to locate hostages. The US is also working the Red Cross and the UN to establish "safe zones" for foreign nationals to leave, including Americans located within Palestine, according to a senior State Department official.Beyond that, questions remain on how many innocent people will be hurt or killed inside Gaza. When asked by a reporter Friday what worries him most about the Israeli ground invasion, Biden had a one-word answer."Death," he said.ABC News' Shannon Crawford, William Gretsky and Mary Bruce contributed to this report.。

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