2023-10-13 04:35:01
Israel is using white phosphorus in Gaza, says Human Rights Watch
Israel’s use of white phosphorus in military operations in Gaza and Lebanon is of deep concern. This substance, which can have multiple applications, is putting the safety and health of civilians in the region at serious risk.
White phosphorus is a highly controversial substanceas it can be used both for peaceful purposes, such as marking or signaling, and for military purposes, to set fires that can inflict catastrophic damage to people and property. Its incendiary capacity is notorious, capable of causing serious injuries and destroying structures, fields and other civilian objects. When used in densely populated areas, such as Gaza, the risk to civilians is multiplied and it flagrantly violates international humanitarian law, which prohibits exposing civilians to unnecessary risks.
The organization Human Rights Watch has documented with irrefutable evidence the use of white phosphorus in Gaza and Lebanon. Verified videos show multiple rounds of white phosphorus fired from artillery on Gaza City and two rural towns along the Israel-Lebanon border.
Additionally, eyewitnesses have been interviewed who described an attack in Gaza. These testimonies and visual evidence are disturbing and make it clear that white phosphorus is being used in densely populated civilian areas.
The use of white phosphorus in Gaza, one of the most densely populated areas in the world, significantly exacerbates the risk to civilians. The consequences of this indiscriminate use can be devastating, and every time white phosphorus is deployed in populated urban areas, it poses a high risk of excruciating burns and lifelong suffering.
We must not forget that white phosphorus is illegal to use in areas where there are civilians, both in the countryside and in urban environments, and also in most combat contexts, because its incendiary capacity can trigger fires that affect homes and cause damage. atrocious to civilians.
Live photos of the Israeli bombing on Irmid Hill, south #Lebanon???? pic.twitter.com/fz0Jv9SGVE
– Arab TV (@AlarabyTV) October 10, 2023
Israel is committing war crimes by using white phosphorus in Gaza
On October 11, Human Rights Watch conducted telephone interviews with two witnesses living in the al-Mina area of Gaza City. Both witnesses reported witnessing incidents that suggest the use of white phosphorus ammunition in the area. One of them was on the street at the time, while the other was located in a nearby office building.
Both described the experience of ongoing airstrikes, followed by explosions in the sky that gave way to what they described as white lines descending toward the ground. According to their estimates, these attacks occurred between 11:30 and 1:00 p.m.
Furthermore, both witnesses emphasized the overwhelming presence of a suffocating odor in the environment. The individual who was in his office stated that the stench was so intense that he went to the window to investigate the situation and recorded the incident on video.
Human Rights Watch subsequently analyzed the material visual and confirmed that he was captured in the port of Gaza City. Furthermore, it was identified that the ammunition used in the attack corresponded to artillery projectiles of 155 mm caliber white phosphorus, which explode in the air. This information agrees with other videos spread on social networks and verified by Human Rights Watch, which also record the same location.
The thick white smoke and the pungent smell of garlic that emerge in the images are emblematic characteristics of white phosphorus.. It is imperative that the international community strongly condemns the use of white phosphorus in densely populated civilian areas. The rules of international law must be respected, and the use of this substance in areas where civilians are vulnerable is an unacceptable violation of fundamental humanitarian principles.
White phosphorus represents a serious threat to the lives and safety of civilians in Gaza and Lebanon. We demand that this use be fully investigated and that measures be taken to prevent future incidents. The protection of civilians in times of conflict is an unavoidable responsibility and cannot be ignored.
Incendiary phosphorous shells fired by the Zionist enemy towards the Al-Mari Plain and Shebaa Farms. pic.twitter.com/I71DcEu2jS
– Ali Shuaib || Ali Shoeib ???????? (@alishoeib1970) October 10, 2023
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