International humanitarian law at "critical breaking point" Geneva Academy finds

International humanitarian law designed to limit the effects of war is at a “critical breaking point”, according to a major new study that documents more than 100,000 civilian deaths a year across recent conflicts, alongside widespread torture and sexual violence committed with near impunity.

The report, War Watch, published by the Geneva Academy of International Humanitarian Law and Human Rights, surveys 23 armed conflicts worldwide between July 2024 and the end of 2025. It concludes that the scale of violations, combined with weak and inconsistent international efforts to prevent or punish them, threatens the future effectiveness of the laws of war, The Guardian writes. 

“Atrocity crimes are being repeated because past ones were tolerated. Our actions – or inaction – will determine whether international humanitarian law vanishes altogether," Stuart Casey-Maslen, the study’s lead author, warned.

International humanitarian law, including the 1949 Geneva conventions, was developed extensively after the second world war to protect civilians and limit suffering in both interstate wars and civil conflicts. The War Watch authors argue that while all states are legally bound “to respect and to ensure respect” for these rules, there is a widening gap between treaty obligations and reality.

The report states: “We do not know how many civilians have been killed in the conduct of hostilities during armed conflicts in 2024 and 2025, but we do know that the number is well over 100,000 in each of the two years.”

It adds that “serious violations of international humanitarian law (IHL) were wrought … on a huge scale and with rampant impunity”, while efforts to pursue war crimes prosecutions have remained limited.

One of the deadliest conflicts examined is Gaza, where Israel launched sustained airstrikes and ground operations following Hamas’s 7 October 2023 attack.

According to the research, Gaza’s population “fell by about 254,000 people, a 10.6% decline compared with pre-conflict estimates”. Although a ceasefire was agreed in October 2025, the report notes that hundreds more Palestinians have been killed since. By the end of 2025, it estimates that 18,592 children and about 12,400 women had been killed.

In Ukraine, civilian deaths increased sharply. The report records 2,514 civilians killed in 2025, more than in the previous two years combined and a 70% rise compared with 2023. It documents Russian drone attacks that deliberately targeted civilians, as well as widespread damage to electricity and other essential services affecting millions of homes.

Sexual and gender-based violence is documented in almost every conflict reviewed. In the Democratic Republic of the Congo, the report describes “an epidemic of such violence” committed by nearly all parties to the fighting. Victims, most of them women and girls, ranged from infants under a year old to people aged 75.

In Sudan, the authors document brutal sexual violence following the fall of El Fasher to rebel forces in October 2025.

“Survivors told of being gang-raped by RSF fighters,” the report states, with assaults lasting hours or days and sometimes carried out in front of family members.

The study positions itself as a counterpoint to claims by Donald Trump that he ended eight wars during his year in office, arguing instead that global conflict has remained intense and increasingly destructive for civilians.

To address what it describes as widespread impunity, the report urges governments to treat accountability for serious violations of international law as a policy priority. Among its recommendations is a comprehensive ban on arms sales “where there is a clear risk that the arms or ammunition to be delivered will be used to commit or facilitate serious violations” of international humanitarian law.

It also calls for prohibiting the use of unguided gravity bombs and inaccurate long-range artillery in populated areas, alongside tighter restrictions on the use of drones and artificial intelligence in targeting decisions affecting civilians.

Finally, the authors argue for “ensuring the systematic prosecution of war crimes” and call for stronger political and financial support for the International Criminal Court in The Hague and for national war crimes tribunals. Several major powers — including the United States, Russia, China, Israel and India — are not members of the ICC, a factor the report suggests continues to limit global accountability.

By Sabina Mammadli