Thomas Gregory

Civilian injuries in Gaza similar to those of soldiers in war zones, study finds Wounds such as burns or leg injuries are more common in Gaza than among US soldiers who fought in Iraq and Afghanistan

"A study published in the British Medical Journal (BMJ) found that some types of wounds – such as burns or injuries to legs – were more common among civilians in Gaza than among US soldiers fighting in recent conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan".

www.theguardian.com/world/2025/s...

‘Killed us twice’: Families of US drone victims seek reparations in Somalia In letters seen by Al Jazeera, US AFRICOM admits to killing civilians in air raids, but refuses ‘condolence payment’.

“Reparations are not just about money; they are a formal recognition of the harm and a vital final step toward a full stop for survivors. When this crucial component is absent, the so-called ‘accountability process’ reveals itself as little more than an elaborate exercise in futility”

aje.io/mf9pm7

Former SAS trooper to be first Australian soldier to face war crime trial A former special forces trooper will be the first Australian soldier to stand trial for a war crime, more than 13 years after he shot dead a villager in an Afghan field.

The first Australian SAS veteran to be charged with the murder of an Afghan civilian or prisoner—out of two dozen the Brereton report found there was enough evidence to make it worth pursuing charges—has begun his trial process. (He shot an unarmed man three times in the head on video.)

My government is imposing sanctions on a UN mandate holder for doing her job, including calling on the ICC to do its job: holding perpetrators of international crimes accountable for their actions.

This is behavior worthy of a crime family, not a member of the United Nations.

It's out!

The Dangerous Rise of "Dual-Use" Objects in War

Coauthored with @mararevkin.bsky.social and @azmatzahra.bsky.social.

We show that the targeting of dual-use objects over the last several decades has placed civilians at great risk.

papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers....

IDF soldiers ordered to shoot deliberately at unarmed Gazans waiting for humanitarian aid ***

"Israeli soldiers in Gaza told Haaretz that the army has deliberately fired at Palestinians near aid distribution sites..."

www.haaretz.com/israel-news/...

Gaza: UN warns of ‘weaponised hunger’ and growing death toll amid food chaos The top UN humanitarian official in the Occupied Palestinian Territory has issued a stark warning over the deepening crisis in Gaza, where civilians are being killed daily while trying to access food,...

More than 400 people in Gaza have now been killed trying to reach food at sites run by the ‘Gaza Humanitarian Foundation’. “The attempt to survive is being met with a death sentence,” says Jonathan Whittall, UN humanitarian coordination office (OCHA).
news.un.org/en/story/202...

Trump nearly doubled U.S. civilian casualty toll in Yemen | Airwars The Trump administration killed almost as many civilians in Yemen in 52 days as the previous 23 years of U.S. action

'The scale of the campaign resulted in an unprecedented level of civilian casualties per incident. During Operation Rough Rider, Airwars documented more incidents with higher numbers of casualties per strike than in any other U.S. campaign'.

trump-yemen.airwars.org/operation-ro...

The lives lost in Gaza: A closer look at those killed in the conflict so far The death toll from the war already dwarfs the numbers killed in previous bouts of fighting between Israelis and Palestinians in Gaza over many decades.

The death toll of Israel’s war in Gaza, according to this investigation, includes 266 entire nuclear families (two parents and their children) of three, 192 entire nuclear families of four, 171 of five, 121 of six, 50 of seven, 17 of eight, 10 of nine, 3 of eleven, and 1 of fourteen.

‘Nothing left to bomb’: Yemen’s civilians bear brunt of US airstrikes on Houthis Analysts say US and Israeli attacks failed to weaken rebels and are only pushing the country to the brink of famine

“There is nothing left to bomb. The missiles are worth more than the buildings they’re hitting".

www.theguardian.com/global-devel...

As Gaza faces starvation, a new plan weaponises humanitarian aid — what can be done? - ABC Religion & Ethics After blocking all food from entering Gaza for 11 weeks, Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu has agreed to allow a limited amount into the besieged territory — though he insists that a new militarised deliv...

always read @jessicawhyte.bsky.social

www.abc.net.au/religion/as-...

This reporter exposed the civilian toll of US airstrikes. Her warning to colleagues? Be ready for a more hostile world “The tactics being pioneered in Gaza –blackouts, attacks with impunity– risk becoming the new normal,” says Pulitzer Prize winner Azmat Khan.

'The tactics being pioneered in Gaza – complete information blackouts, attacks on journalists with impunity – risk becoming the new normal unless the international community wakes up to what’s at stake'.

reutersinstitute.politics.ox.ac.uk/news/reporte...

One Special Forces officer blocked 1,585 Afghans from settling in UK - BBC News Documents shown to court by MoD show the officer rejected every application referred to him in the summer of 2023.

"A UK Special Forces officer personally rejected 1,585 resettlement applications from Afghans with credible links to special forces, newly released documents say".

www-bbc-com.cdn.ampproject.org/c/s/www.bbc....

When the U.S. and Israel Bomb the Houthis, Civilians Pay the Highest Price

When the U.S. and Israel Bomb the Houthis, Civilians Pay the Highest Price www.nytimes.com/2025/05/21/w...

State’s Program for Responding to Civilian Harm Caused by American Weapons Falls Short, But Should Not Be Abandoned CHIRG could help prevent U.S. arms from being used unlawfully, and credibly respond to critics of America’s global weapons transfers.

State’s Program for Responding to Civilian Harm Caused by American Weapons Falls Short, But Should Not Be Abandoned at www.justsecurity.org/113384/civil...

Video: Visual Analysis Shows U.S. Likely Bombed Yemen Migrant Detention Center Videos and photos reveal remnants of at least three U.S.-made GBU-39 bombs at the site of an April 28 attack. The strike killed 68 African migrants, according to the Houthis, a militant group that con...

A visual analysis shows the U.S. likely bombed a migrant detention center in Yemen on April 28. At least three U.S.-made GBU-39 bombs at the site of the attack, which killed 68 African migrants, according to the Houthis, a militant group that controls northern Yemen.

Civilian harm in Yemen: US strikes on migrant detention centre raise fresh concerns over international law compliance - AOAV On 28 April 2025, a US airstrike reportedly struck a migrant detention centre in Saada, northern Yemen, killing over 68 civilians and injuring dozens more. According to Human Rights Watch, the victims...

'US airstrikes are appearing to kill and injure civilians in Yemen at an alarming rate... This is happening under a Trump administration that has loosened policy constraints on the use of force and... marginalize[d] Pentagon offices charged with mitigating civilian harm'

aoav.org.uk/2025/civilia...

'After reports of two major strikes against targets inside Yemen, officials at U.S. Central Command are refusing to discuss whether either action resulted in multiple civilian casualties or if either strike was militarily justified'.

www.military.com/daily-news/2...

'To focus one’s attention on the bare minimum that the laws of war require in extremis is a way to avoid the vexed moral and political problems of the past wars, which America is very much still fighting'.

'From that vantage, Gaza not only looks like a dress rehearsal for the kind of combat U.S. soldiers may face. It is a test of the American public’s tolerance for the levels of death and destruction that such kinds of warfare entail'

What’s Legally Allowed in War How U.S. military lawyers see Israel’s invasion of Gaza—and the public’s reaction to it—as a dress rehearsal for a potential conflict with a foreign power like China.

'LSCO lawyers have been arguing that the laws of war are far more permissive than many of their peers and the public seem to appreciate...'

www.newyorker.com/news/the-led...

'Such a “serious disregard” for life calls into question the Trump administration’s ability to conduct military operations “in accordance with U.S. best practices for civilian harm mitigation and international law,” the senators told Hegseth'.

www.msn.com/en-us/news/w...

Book: Weaponizing Civilian Protection  | Intimacies of Remote Warfare The book Weaponizing Civilian Protection by Dr. Thomas Gregory offers an unsettling examination of how civilian casualties were weaponized during the war in Afghanistan.

Really excited to see the first review of Weaponizing Civilian Protection.

intimacies-of-remote-warfare.nl/publications...

New details on killing of paramedics in Gaza appear to contradict IDF’s account Haaretz report comes as supreme court gives Israeli PM more time to respond to affidavit from fired Shin Bet chief

"Haaretz said, soldiers fired continuously at the vehicles for three and a half minutes from close range despite the aid workers’ attempts to identify themselves"

www.theguardian.com/world/2025/a...

US airstrikes killed 12 people in Yemen’s capital, the Houthi rebels say U.S. airstrikes targeting Yemen’s capital killed 12 people and wounded 30 others, the Houthi rebels said early Monday

'Assessing the toll of the month-old U.S. airstrike campaign has been difficult because the military hasn’t released information about the attacks, including what was targeted and how many people were killed'

abcnews.go.com/Internationa...

I’ve Worked at Google for Decades. I’m Sickened by What It’s Doing. For the first time, I feel driven to speak publicly because our company is now powering state violence across the globe.

"Google is now powering state violence across the globe, and the severity of the harm being done is rapidly escalating," writes Emma Jackson, a Google employee speaking out for the first time.

Pete Hegseth Is Gutting Pentagon Programs to Reduce Civilian Casualties The defense secretary’s focus on “lethality” could mean “wanton killing and wholesale destruction and disregard for law,” one Pentagon official said.

Pete Hegseth Is Gutting Pentagon Programs to Reduce Civilian Casualties
theintercept.com/2025/04/15/p...

Harnessing Military Investigations as a Tool for Civilian Protection in an ‘Era of Rearmament’ Civilians today face unprecedented risks in armed conflict, with compliance with the laws of war in crisis. UN figures show civilian deaths rising since 2019 and skyrocketing in 2023, with the number ...

'Robust investigatory practices that prioritise civilian protection can help challenge current patterns of denial and reinterpretation of IHL, reinforcing protection and accountability in an era of escalating threats to civilians'.

www.ejiltalk.org/harnessing-m...

The Netherlands Apologizes for Involvement in Hawija Airstrike and Lays Out Further Reforms The Dutch Cabinet's Mar. 2025 release of a list of commitments on mitigating civilian harm is a major step forward transparency.

'One of the key findings in the Sorgdrager Commission report was that the Dutch military conducted the strike on Hawija despite having access to no intelligence of their own, [and] no Dutch intelligence capability to verify American information'.

www.justsecurity.org/109817/nethe...

🔽 Just on compensation, about ten times as much in fact