Under IHL, the category of civilians is opposable to that of “combatants.” In an international armed conflict, all persons who are not combatants are civilians. Persons with civilian status may not be directly targeted in attacks. Civilians who directly participate in hostilities, however, lose that protection for the duration of their participation in hostilities. In non-international armed conflicts, there is no combatant status. Members of armed groups with a continuous fighting function may, according to doctrine, be targeted like combatants. All other persons must not be directly targeted. The civilian population is a term that refers to groupings of civilian persons. The presence of some combatants within the general civilian population does not render the civilian population as a whole targetable.
IHL contains certain rules applicable to civilians who accompany the armed forces.
See Civilian population;
LEGAL SOURCE
CASES
ICRC, International Humanitarian Law and the challenges of contemporary armed conflicts in 2015 [paras 242, 252]
Iraq, Forced displacement and deliberate destruction
Central African Republic, Report of the UN Independent Expert, July 2016
Iraq: Situation of Internally Displaced Persons
ICC, Confirmation of Charges against LRA Leaders
ICRC, Statement - War in Cities ; What is at Stake?
Iraq, Crimes by Militia Groups
Georgia: Attacks against peacekeepers
“Great March of Return” Demonstrations and Israel’s Military Response