Title: Israel Reportedly Uses White Phosphorus Munitions, Putting Civilians at Risk
Published: October 13, 2023
JERUSALEM – Human Rights Watch (HRW) has accused Israel of using white phosphorus munitions during its military operations in Gaza and Lebanon. The rights watchdog claims that the use of such weapons poses a serious and long-term risk to civilians.
In response to the allegations, Israel’s military stated that they are not aware of the use of weapons containing white phosphorus in Gaza. However, they did not provide comments regarding HRW’s claims of their use in Lebanon.
Israeli forces have been conducting airstrikes on Gaza in retaliation for a series of attacks by Hamas militants, which resulted in the deaths of at least 1,300 people this week. Meanwhile, the conflict has also escalated between Israel and Lebanon’s Hezbollah group.
HRW reported that they verified videos taken on October 10 in Lebanon and October 11 in Gaza, showing “multiple airbursts of artillery-fired white phosphorus.” These munitions were allegedly used in the Gaza City port and two rural locations along the Israel-Lebanon border.
The rights group provided links to two social media videos, which they claim depict the use of “155mm white phosphorus artillery projectiles,” intended for smokescreens, marking, or signaling purposes near the Israel-Lebanon border.
However, HRW did not provide links to videos showing the alleged use of these munitions in Gaza. Palestinian TV channels have recently broadcasted videos showing thin plumes of white smoke, which they claim were caused by white phosphorus attacks.
Reuters could not independently verify HRW’s claims.
It is worth noting that Israel’s military announced in 2013 that they were phasing out white phosphorus smokescreen munitions, which were used during their offensive in Gaza in 2008-2009, following accusations of war crimes from various rights groups. At the time, it was not clarified whether the military would also review the use of weaponized white phosphorus, which is designed to incinerate enemy positions.
While white phosphorus munitions have legal uses, such as creating smoke screens, generating illumination, marking targets, or burning bunkers and buildings, they can cause serious burns and initiate fires.
White phosphorus is classified as an incendiary weapon under Protocol III of the Convention on the Prohibition of Use of Certain Conventional Weapons. The protocol prohibits the use of incendiary weapons against military targets located among civilians. However, Israel has not signed this protocol and is not bound by it.
(This story has been updated to correct the spelling of ‘phosphorus’ in the headline, paragraphs 2 and 12, as well as in the story identifier. Additionally, the word ‘on’ has been removed from paragraph 5.)
Reporting by Emily Rose and Rami Ayyub; Editing by Diane Craft
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