A Hezbollah fighter's mother weeps as she looks at a photo of her son, in a cemetery in Ghobeiri, a southern suburb of Beirut, Lebanon, Oct. 26, 2024. (Credit: Mohammad Abd el-Ghany/Reuters)
On Friday, Oct. 1, Israel announced it captured a "high-ranking Hezbollah agent" in Batroun during a maritime raid. As of Oct. 21, the Israeli army claimed to be holding 10 fighters from the party. What is their legal status, and what rules can govern their detention? Tom Dannenbaum, associate professor of International Law at the Fletcher School of Law & Diplomacy in Medford, Massachusetts, provides insights to-Le Jour.Can Hezbollah fighters captured by Israel be considered prisoners of war?Under Article 4 of the Third Geneva Convention of 1949 [ratified by all U.N.-recognized states], prisoners of war are defined as captured members of enemy armed forces or certain associated persons, in a conflict between states. They are held for the duration of the conflict and must be released and repatriated once active hostilities have ended....
On Friday, Oct. 1, Israel announced it captured a "high-ranking Hezbollah agent" in Batroun during a maritime raid. As of Oct. 21, the Israeli army claimed to be holding 10 fighters from the party. What is their legal status, and what rules can govern their detention? Tom Dannenbaum, associate professor of International Law at the Fletcher School of Law & Diplomacy in Medford, Massachusetts, provides insights to-Le Jour.Can Hezbollah fighters captured by Israel be considered prisoners of war?Under Article 4 of the Third Geneva Convention of 1949 [ratified by all U.N.-recognized states], prisoners of war are defined as captured members of enemy armed forces or certain associated persons, in a conflict between states. They are held for the duration of the conflict and must be released and repatriated once active hostilities have...