If you chose to fight, you are a combatant.
1. If you chose to fight in a sworn military, you are a LEGAL combatant.
2. If you chose to fight NOT in a sworn military, but make accommodations to distinguish yourself, then you are a LEGAL combatant.
3. If you chose to fight NOT in a sworn military, but DO NOT make accommodations to distinguish yourself, then you are an ILLEGAL combatant.
Hamas fighters have a history of item 3. In WW II, partisan resistance groups were usually 2 or 3.
If you are a sworn soldier but
NOT in uniform when you fight, then you are an
ILLEGAL combatant. If captured and exposed as a soldier, you can be literally executed on the spot.
If you are a sworn soldier of one army but fight in the uniform of the opposition army, and if you are captured and exposed, then you are an
ILLEGAL combatant and can be literally executed on the spot.
Anytime you are an
ILLEGAL combatant, you do not have protected POW status.
Wrong. The ignorant one here is
YOU.
The word 'war' in 'war crime' is used to denote the type of actions that are usually associated with combat that involves nation-states. A formal declared war is not required to charge someone with 'war crime'.
Settlers are
ILLEGAL targets. Hence, killing them constitute a war crime.