Enforcing the law amid the fog of war is difficult. Holding perpetrators to account once conflicts are over has often proved elusive.The rules of armed conflict are governed by a set of internationally recognized laws and resolutions, including the United Nations charter, which prohibits aggressive wars but allows countries the right to self-defense.
The rules apply both to wars between nations and conflicts, like that between Israel and Hamas, in which one of the parties is not a state.Another key document in the law of war is the founding Rome Statue of the International Criminal Court, which defines as war crimes acts including intentional attacks on civilians, civilian settlements or humanitarian workers, destroying property where not militarily necessary, sexual violence and unlawful deportation.