War is for Warriors Not CiviliansWar is for Warriors Not Civilians

War has been there since the beginning of (in)humanity and in the vast majority of ancient conflicts the casualties were members of the armed forces, or in any case fighters, warriors.

If we look into the various codes of conduct way before contemporary international humanitarian law, it is clear that the fact that warriors only can be the object of attacks was a set-rule. And we can trace this rule as far back as the 6th century BC.

War is an affair of warriors, thus non-combatants should not be primary targets of attack.
Koina Nomina, the ‘common customs’ of warfare, Ancient Greece, 6th century BC

And this is the spirit behind most of the laws of war. When a war occurs everything possible must be made to spare the civilians, but also their houses, schools, hospitals, the goods indispensable to their survival (water, food, medicines), to reduce as much as possible the effects of war.

Hence also the provision of humanitarian assistance when needed (see the design “We Care for You, Respect Us” for more explanations!).