Where the bombs fell: Measuring compliance with humanitarian treaties

Compliance with international treaties is the bedrock of the international order. When it comes to international humanitarian treaties, which regulate war-making, the issue of compliance gains urgency as people's lives are on the line. At the same time, measuring states' actions during an armed conflict is known to be exceedingly challenging. Current measures for states' compliance with their international obligations during armed conflict has been incomplete, offering a broad generalization that does not necessarily capture reality on the ground or alternatively based on proxy measurements, which produce a distorted portray of events in relation to obligations. This study suggests geospatial analysis as a gauging tool for states' compliance with international treaties during armed conflict. Examining the 2014 Gaza War as an instrumental case study, this paper underscores the efficacy of this measure and informs current debates on the success of humanitarian treaties and variation in compliance.