International law that is supposed to limit the horrors of war is on the verge of a complete breakdown, warns a new, comprehensive study by the Geneva Academy of International Humanitarian Law and Human Rights. An analysis of 23 armed conflicts conducted over the past 18 months shows that war crimes, including mass killings of civilians, torture and sexual violence, have become almost routine – with minimal consequences for the perpetrators, writes The Guardian.
According to the findings of the study, in 2024 and 2025, more than 100,000 civilians were killed in each of those two years, while international mechanisms for the protection of the civilian population and the prosecution of war crimes showed serious weaknesses. The report, symbolically called War Watch, concludes that international humanitarian law is at a “critical tipping point”.
“Crimes are repeated because previous ones are tolerated”
The main author of the report, legal expert Stuart Casey-Maslen, warns that today’s war crimes are not an exception, but a consequence of long-term indecision of the international community.
“Crimes against humanity are repeated because the previous ones were tolerated. Our action – or inaction – will decide whether international humanitarian law will survive at all,” said Casey-Maslen.
He emphasizes that the absence of decisive reactions and consistent application of existing laws creates a dangerous precedent in which perpetrators believe they can act with impunity.
Laws created after the Second World War – today increasingly weak
International humanitarian law, including the Geneva Conventions of 1949, was developed after World War II with the aim of preventing mass civilian casualties and limiting the brutality of armed conflicts, both within and between states.
However, according to the authors of the study, the gap between the formal obligations that the states assumed by signing the conventions and the actual practice on the ground today is greater than ever.
23 conflicts worldwide covered
The War Watch report analyzed 23 armed conflicts in the period from July 2024 to the end of 2025. The study thus directly disputes the claims of former US President Donald Trump, who previously stated that he ended eight wars during his term.
Although the precise number of civilian victims cannot be determined due to limited access to data in war zones, the authors emphasize that the scale of suffering is indisputable.
“We do not know the exact number of civilians killed during hostilities in 2024 and 2025, but we know that this number is far greater than 100,000 in each of those years,” the report states.
Gaza: mass casualties of civilians and children
One of the deadliest conflicts analyzed in the study is the war in the Gaza Strip. After the Hamas attack on October 7, 2023, Israel launched intensive air and ground operations that lasted almost two years.
According to the report, the total population of Gaza has decreased by about 254,000 people, which represents a drop of 10.6 percent compared to pre-war estimates. By the end of 2025, at least 18,592 children and around 12,400 women have been killed.
Although a ceasefire was agreed in October 2025, the violence continued, and hundreds of additional civilians lost their lives even after the formal ceasefire.
Ukraine: increase in civilian casualties despite the length of the war
The report also notes a sharp increase in civilian casualties in Ukraine during 2025. In that year, at least 2,514 civilians were killed, which represents an increase of as much as 70 percent compared to 2023.
Russian drone strikes, the study found, often deliberately targeted civilian targets. Millions of people were left without electricity, heating and basic infrastructure, further worsening the humanitarian situation.
One of the most shocking parts of the report refers to sexual and gender-based violence, which is documented in almost all analyzed conflicts.
A particularly alarming situation was recorded in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, where the authors speak of an “epidemic of sexual violence”. Crimes have been committed by almost all warring parties, and the victims are mostly women and girls – from babies as young as one year old to old women at the age of 75.
Sudan: testimonies of mass rapes
Numerous cases of brutal sexual violence have been documented in Sudan after the fall of the city of El Fasher to rebel forces in October 2025.
“The survivors testified that they were gang-raped by the Rapid Support Force (RSF) fighters. The abuse lasted for hours or days, often in front of family members,” the report states.
The authors of the study warn that the basic problem of contemporary conflicts is the almost complete absence of responsibility. Although all signatory states to the Geneva Conventions are obliged to “respect and ensure respect” of international humanitarian law in all circumstances, in practice war crimes are rarely prosecuted.
“Serious violations of international humanitarian law occur on a huge scale and with widespread impunity,” the report states.
Recommendations: weapons ban and strengthening of international courts
In order to reduce the number of war crimes, the authors of War Watch propose a series of concrete measures. Among them is the introduction of a strict ban on the sale of weapons in cases where there is a clear risk that they will be used to violate international humanitarian law.
It also proposes a ban on the use of unguided aerial bombs and inaccurate long-range artillery in populated areas, as well as stricter restrictions on the use of drones and artificial intelligence-based systems against civilian targets.
The report strongly advocates the systematic prosecution of war crimes and calls for greater political and financial support for the International Criminal Court (ICC) in The Hague, as well as national war crimes courts.
However, the authors remind that many major powers, including the United States of America, Russia, China, Israel and India, are not members of the ICC, which further complicates the administration of justice.
A warning that leaves no room for indifference
The conclusion of the study is clear and worrying: without a decisive and joint reaction of the international community, the system of protection of civilians in war could completely collapse.
“Solving the problem of widespread impunity must become a political priority,” say the authors, warning that otherwise international humanitarian law could remain just a dead letter.
