Israel's Dahiya Doctrine and Its Use of Unnecessary Force

Those who have not studied Israel's military strategy probably have not come across reference to Israel's Dahiya doctrine and its deliberate use of disproportionate force, which is a war crime. This post aims to provide an overview of that topic.

The Dahiya doctrine, or Dahya doctrine, is a military strategy of asymmetric warfare, outlined by former Israel Defense Forces (IDF) Chief of General Staff Gadi Eizenkot, which encompasses the destruction of the civilian infrastructure of regimes deemed to be hostile as a measure calculated to deny combatants the use of that infrastructure and endorses the employment of "disproportionate force" to secure that end.

Anon., Dahiya Doctrine (undated) Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation. Available at: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dahiya_doctrine (Accessed: 25 October 2023) (footnotes omitted).

With an outbreak of hostilities, the IDF will need to act immediately, decisively, and with force that is disproportionate to the enemy's actions and the threat it poses. Such a response aims at inflicting damage and meting out punishment to an extent that will demand long and expensive reconstruction processes. The strike must be carried out as quickly as possible, and must prioritize damaging assets over seeking out each and every launcher.

Gabi Siboni, Disproportionate Force: Israel's Concept of Response in Light of the Second Lebanon War (2 October 200iNo date) inss.org.il. Available at: https://www.inss.org.il/publication/disproportionate-force-israels-concept-of-response-in-light-of-the-second-lebanon-war/ (Accessed: 25 October 2023).

Israeli President Isaac Herzog said Palestinian civilians in Gaza were “responsible” for the Saturday attack by Hamas.

“It is an entire nation out there that is responsible. It’s not true this rhetoric about civilians [being] not aware, not involved. It’s absolutely not true,” Herzog said Friday. “They could have risen up, they could have fought against that evil regime which took over Gaza in a coup d’état.”

Matt Keeley (13 October 2023) Israeli president says ’entire nation' of Palestine ‘responsible’ for Hamas attacks, Alternet.org. Available at: https://www.alternet.org/send/hamas-israel/ (Accessed: 26 October 2023) (rationale for applying Dahiya Doctrine).

Anon., (13 October 2023) Israeli military order civilians to evacuate north Gaza, prompting fears of ground offensive, Arabnews. Available at: https://www.arabnews.com/node/2390491/middle-east (Accessed: 26 October 2023). (Rationale for application of Dahiya Doctrine.)

Israel security specialists see indications that the [Dahiya] policy is being employed in the ongoing aerial bombardments in Gaza.

IDF spokesman Daniel Hagari said on Monday morning “the emphasis is on damage and not on accuracy”, following reports of heavy civilian casualties in the strip.

Asked if Israel is now using the doctrine in Gaza, Yoni Ben Menachem, a security analyst with close ties to the Israeli military, said “definitely”. ...

Dr Daniel Byman, a scholar of the conflict at the Centre for International and Strategic Studies and advisor to the US State Department, said “the general concept that Israel will inflict considerable damage and destruction in order to restore deterrence does apply”.

Legal scholars have criticised the doctrine. A 2009 UN report (PDF) accused the IDF of employing it in a war in Gaza the same year and found that bombing buildings including local government offices and a prison “constituted deliberate attacks on civilian objects in violation of the rule of customary international humanitarian law (IHL) whereby attacks must be strictly limited to military objectives.”

IDF spokesman Daniel Hagari said on Monday morning “the emphasis is on damage and not on accuracy”, following reports of heavy civilian casualties in the strip.

Asked if Israel is now using the doctrine in Gaza, Yoni Ben Menachem, a security analyst with close ties to the Israeli military, said “definitely”. …

Monks, K. (10 October 2023) The controversial military doctrines Israel could already be using in Gaza, inews.co.uk. Available at: https://inews.co.uk/news/world/dahiya-doctrine-hannibal-directive-israel-controversial-military-practices-2677233 (Accessed: 21 October 2023).

Anon. (7 December 2012) The Dahiya Doctrine and Israel’s Use of Disproportionate Force, IMEU. Available at: https://imeu.org/article/the-dahiya-doctrine-and-israels-use-of-disproportionate-force. (Accessed: 6 November 2023).

Anon. (1 November 2023), Text Translation: The Israeli plan for the ethnic cleansing of Gaza, Mondoweiss. Available at: https://mondoweiss.net/2023/11/text-translation-the-israeli-plan-for-the-ethnic-cleansing-of-gaza/. (Accessed: 2 November 2023).

Mia Jankowicz (9 October 2023), “Israel announces ‘complete siege’ of Gaza, cutting its electricity, food, water, and fuel,” Business Insider, 9 October. Available at: https://www.businessinsider.com/israel-gallant-announces-complete-siege-gaza-no-electricity-food-fuel-2023-10. (Accessed: November 29, 2023).

Palestine Info Center (2 November 2023) Occupation aircraft target an UNRWA school in the Beach Camp with internationally banned white phosphorus, Twitter. Available at: https://twitter.com/palinfoen/status/1719976207838822588 (Accessed: 2 November 2023).

M. K. Bhadrakumar, (7 November 2023), US, Israel to open second front in Lebanon, Indian Punchline. Available at: https://www.indianpunchline.com/us-israel-to-open-second-front-in-lebanon/. (Accessed: 8 November 2023).

Brian Williams (4 November 2023), Hamas-Israel War: The Tunnel War Begins, RealClearDefense. Available at: https://www.realcleardefense.com/articles/2023/11/04/hamas-israel_war_the_tunnel_war_begins_990588.html. (Accessed: November 12, 2023).

Paul Adams (24 November 2023) “When this truce ends, the decisive next phase of war begins,” BBC, 25 November. Available at: https://www.bbc.com/news/world-middle-east-67518819. (Accessed: November 25, 2023).

Andre Damon, “Slow death”: Israel weaponizes disease in the Gaza genocide (28 November 2023) World Socialist Web Site. Available at: https://www.wsws.org/en/articles/2023/11/29/ghyt-n29.html. (Accessed: November 29, 2023).