Just War Theory and the Gaza War: Assessing the Case for Humanitarian Intervention

This thesis evaluates whether a military humanitarian intervention in Gaza could be justified according to just war theory. Following the Hamas attacks on Israel on 7 October 2023 and Israel’s subsequent military campaign in the Gaza Strip, Palestinian civilians have suffered extensive harm, including mass casualties, infrastructure destruction, and famine. I argue that these harms raise the question of whether external actors may permissibly intervene to protect the Gazan population. Drawing on both traditionalist and revisionist accounts of just war theory, I first examine the moral status of the war between Israel and Hamas. I contend that Hamas’s resort to war is unjust, violating important jus ad bellum and in bello conditions, and that Israel’s campaign, despite possibly having an initial just cause, fails key proportionality and necessity requirements. I then assess whether humanitarian intervention would meet the conditions of jus ad bellum. I conclude that while a just...Show moreThis thesis evaluates whether a military humanitarian intervention in Gaza could be justified according to just war theory. Following the Hamas attacks on Israel on 7 October 2023 and Israel’s subsequent military campaign in the Gaza Strip, Palestinian civilians have suffered extensive harm, including mass casualties, infrastructure destruction, and famine. I argue that these harms raise the question of whether external actors may permissibly intervene to protect the Gazan population. Drawing on both traditionalist and revisionist accounts of just war theory, I first examine the moral status of the war between Israel and Hamas. I contend that Hamas’s resort to war is unjust, violating important jus ad bellum and in bello conditions, and that Israel’s campaign, despite possibly having an initial just cause, fails key proportionality and necessity requirements. I then assess whether humanitarian intervention would meet the conditions of jus ad bellum. I conclude that while a just cause for intervention can be established, other conditions, particularly proportionality and necessity render military intervention impermissible all things considered.Show less

Leiden University Student Repository

Documents

In Collections

Just War Theory and the Gaza War: Assessing the Case for Humanitarian Intervention