Short answers, pulled from the story.
The Code of Hammurabi was established in 1750 B.C. This ancient Babylonian legal framework stands as the earliest known written attempt to impose a code of conduct upon warfare. It predates modern international law by millennia and explicitly regulated the behavior of soldiers during conflict.
Abu Bakr issued instructions that forbade the mutilation of corpses, the killing of children, women, and the elderly, and the destruction of trees or the killing of the enemy's animals. These rules emphasized the protection of non-combatants and the environment. This early Islamic approach to war reflected a deep-seated belief in the sanctity of life even amidst conflict.
The First Geneva Convention was signed in 1864 by 12 countries. This pivotal moment protected hospital and ambulance crews and established the principle that medical personnel should be neutral and protected during conflicts. The Hague Conventions of 1899 and 1907 further expanded these regulations.
The Nuremberg Principles were formulated under United Nations General Assembly Resolution 177 on the 21st of November 1947. These principles provided a legal framework for prosecuting war crimes and crimes against humanity. They set a standard that would influence future international tribunals and the development of international criminal law.
The law of war is governed by five core principles: military necessity, distinction, proportionality, humanity, and honor. Military necessity requires that any attack or action must be intended to help defeat the enemy and must target legitimate military objectives. The principle of distinction mandates that belligerents must differentiate between combatants and protected civilians.
The 1949 Geneva Conventions include four separate conventions that further solidified the protection of wounded and sick soldiers, prisoners of war, and civilians. This established a comprehensive legal framework for the conduct of war. Subsequent treaties, such as the 1977 Geneva Protocols, the 1997 Ottawa Treaty on anti-personnel mines, and the 2017 Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons, have continued to expand the scope of the law of war.