Germany
Practice Relating to Rule 12. Definition of Indiscriminate Attacks
Germany’s Military Manual (1992) states: “Indiscriminate firing and bombardment means attacks … which are not directed at a specific military objective.”
Germany’s Military Manual (1992) states: “Indiscriminate firing and bombardment means attacks … which cannot be directed at a specific military objective.”
In 2009, in reply to a Minor Interpellation in the Bundestag (Lower House of Parliament) titled “Investigation of serious violations of international humanitarian law in the recent Gaza war”, Germany’s Federal Government wrote:
16. How does the Federal Government assess the use of artillery ammunition, fin-stabilized ammunition, shrapnel shells and other imprecise weapons in the densely populated residential areas in Gaza, documented by Amnesty International, under international law?
The Federal Government has no reliable information on the use of such ammunition. The use of means of warfare which cannot be directed against a specific military objective, so-called indiscriminate attacks, would be prohibited … This would depend not only on the type of ammunition but also on the circumstances of their use.
Germany’s Military Manual (1992) states: “Indiscriminate firing and bombardment means attacks … c. whose intended effects cannot be limited to the military objective.”