As I articulated earlier, I don’t think there’s a norm for this scenario, it seems a bit unprecedented. I’m no history buff though, you tell me similar scenarios in history and educate me on what would be acceptable for militants hidden underground amongst densely populated civilian populations. Whether you agree or disagree with what’s been unfolding, I think it’s unreasonable to classify one sides actions as war crimes when in reality it’s cause and consequence together by two baddies and the civilian population caught in the middle.
But hey, that’s just my take. I have no skin in the game and would prefer it was all resolved around a table which appears to becoming less and less likely.