Collateral damage

One of the new phrases to come out of the Gaza war is collective punishment which according to the Geneva Convention is a war crime. It means in the current situation that you cannot punish the Palestinian people because Hamas is committing war crimes. It sounds similar to adding new gun laws which restrict legal gun owners because criminals use guns in crimes. The Patriot Act allowed the government to spy on individuals without due process because terrorist attacked American. During WW 2 all sides deliberately bombed civilians. The rules of war are much like Mike Tyson's description of a boxing match. He says you have a plan until you get smashed in the face and then you fall back on instinct. Israel has been smashed in the face and they are still trying to limit collateral damage which will put their troops in danger.