Forced displacement was genocide, and "human shields" aren't a legal excuse for any military action - what happened to the truth?

A legitimate military target that is protected by human shields may be attacked under international law if the military value of the target justifies the civilian casualties. That's the law of proportionality. The concept, important for determining the legality of an act of war, is about weighing civilian harm against military objectives, not about achieving a balanced number of casualties.