Whether it is acceptable to sacrifice a few innocent people in order to achieve a victory in the overall situation during military operations is a complex and controversial ethical issue. Different ethical frameworks and international laws have different views and provisions on this issue. ### **Provisions of International Humanitarian Law** According to international humanitarian law (especially the Geneva Conventions), in armed conflicts, parties must abide by a series of principles to reduce harm to non-combatants. The most important principles include: 1. **Distinction**: The warring parties must distinguish between combatants and non-combatants when using force to ensure that only legitimate military targets are targeted. 2. **Proportionality**: Even if it is a legitimate military target, its military advantage may be considered insufficient to justify such damage if it may cause significant non-combatant casualties or significant property damage. 3. **Necessity**: Only when it is military necessary can necessary actions be taken to avoid unnecessary harm. ### **From an ethical perspective** From an ethical perspective, this issue involves different views of **Utilitarianism** and **Deontology**: - **Utilitarianism** believes that the morality of an action depends on its consequences. If sacrificing a few innocent people can bring greater overall benefits (such as ending the war, saving more lives), then such sacrifice is acceptable to some extent. - **Deontology** emphasizes the morality of the behavior itself, rather than simply focusing on the results. From this perspective, intentionally harming innocent people is immoral, regardless of the possible consequences. ### **Realistic Challenges** In actual military operations, it is extremely challenging to completely avoid civilian casualties, especially in modern wars, where battlefields often overlap with civilian areas. However, international humanitarian law and related ethical frameworks emphasize that it is necessary to minimize harm to innocent people, and any unavoidable harm should be strictly limited. ### **Conclusion** Although military operations may cause the death and injury of innocent civilians in some cases, both international law and ethical norms emphasize that every effort must be made to avoid and minimize such damage. Sacrificing a few innocent people to achieve the so-called "big win" is usually considered immoral and illegal unless it can be clearly proved that such sacrifice is absolutely necessary and in accordance with the principle of proportionality. Ultimately, balancing military objectives and humanitarian concerns is a core issue that needs to be seriously considered in every military decision.