(NPR) – So what exactly do the laws of war say about hospitals? The Geneva Conventions of 1949 provide special protection, saying “civilian hospitals … may in no circumstances be the object of attack but shall at all times be respected and protected by the parties to the conflict.” However, this shield is not absolute. The Geneva Conventions go on to say that a hospital can lose this protected status if an armed group uses the hospital to carry out “acts harmful to the enemy.” (Read More)