In the laws of war, combatants are considered to be hors de combat (French: [ɔʁ də kɔ̃ba]; lit. 'out of combat'), and thus protected persons, when they are unable to participate in fighting. Hors de combat personnel may not be intentionally targeted. Examples include persons parachuting from their disabled aircraft, shipwreck survivors, as well as the sick, wounded, detained, or otherwise disabled. Intentional hostility from assumed hors de combat persons removes any legal protection on their part and renders them as active combatants once again.
Under the 1949 Geneva Conventions, enemy combatants hors de combat are non-combatants and automatically granted the status of protected persons. Lawful combatants hors de combat receive prisoner of war (POW) status and cannot be prosecuted for simply partaking in hostilities. Some countries recognize a status of unlawful combatants which are not entitled to hors de combat protections.
