Screengrab from a video showing Israeli shelling on southern Lebanon. By Al-Manar TV correspondent Ali Shoeib.
On October 12, Human Rights Watch (HRW) accused Israel of using white phosphorus munitions in its military operations in the Gaza Strip and Lebanon.
In a statement, the rights group said that it had verified the use of white phosphorus munitions by the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) through interviews and videos showing that the chemical substance was fired upon two locations along the Israel-Lebanon front and over the Gaza City port.
“White phosphorus is unlawfully indiscriminate when airburst in populated urban areas, where it can burn down houses and cause egregious harm to civilians,” said Lama Fakih, Middle East and North Africa director at HRW, in a statement.
Asked for comment on the accusations, the IDF said on October 13 that it was “currently not aware of the use of weapons containing white phosphorus in Gaza.” The military did not comment on the rights group’s allegations of their use in Lebanon.
The IDF has been bombarding Gaza since the Hamas Movement and its allies launched a surprise attack from Gaza on October 7, killing at least 1,300 Israelis and wounding more than 3,000 others. More than 1,500 Palestinains were killed in the strikes on the Strip. Clashes with Hezbollah were also reported on the front with Lebanon.
White phosphorus is a wax-like, toxic substance that burns at more than 800 degrees Celsius, which is high enough to melt metal.
Typically, White phosphorus munitions are used on battlefields to make smoke screens, generate illumination, mark targets or burn bunkers and buildings.
Because it has legal uses, white phosphorus is not banned as a chemical weapon under international conventions, but it can cause serious burns and start fires. The toxic chemical can be absorbed by the body, causing dysfunction in multiple organs including the liver, kidneys and heart.
White phosphorus is considered an incendiary weapon under Protocol III of the Convention on the Prohibition of Use of Certain Conventional Weapons. The protocol prohibits using incendiary weapons against military targets located among civilians, although Israel has not signed it and is not bound by it.
