Airbursts of artillery-fired white phosphorus fall over the Gaza city port, October 11, 2023. (AFP)

Human Rights Watch confirmed that the Israeli occupation used white phosphorus in its attacks on Gaza and Lebanon on October 10 and 11.

In a Q&A article about white phosphorus, Human Rights Watch expressed concerns about the Israeli occupation's use of phosphorus in military operations in Gaza and Lebanon, highlighting the serious and long-term risks it poses to civilians.

Human Rights Watch substantiated these claims with video evidence from Lebanon and Gaza, which depicted multiple airbursts of artillery-fired white phosphorus over the Gaza City port and two rural locations along the occupied Palestine-Lebanon border.

White phosphorus, with its dual capability for marking, signaling, and obscuring or as an incendiary weapon, can cause severe burns to individuals and ignite structures, fields, and other civilian objects in the vicinity.

Evidence from the ground, including eye witness reports from Palestinians in Gaza, and numerous photos and videos like the one below, strongly indicate apartheid Israel is using white phosphorus in heavily populated civilian areas in Gaza.#GazaUnderAttack #StopIsraeliGenocide pic.twitter.com/uBCc3mKTnG
— BDS movement (@BDSmovement) October 12, 2023

The use of white phosphorus in Gaza, one of the most densely populated areas globally, significantly heightens the danger to civilians and constitutes a breach of international humanitarian law's prohibition on needlessly endangering civilians.

International law explicitly forbids the use of phosphorus, and such actions are considered violations by the occupying forces. It's worth noting that assaults employing air-delivered incendiary weapons in civilian areas are outlawed under Protocol III of the Convention on Conventional Weapons (CCW).

Lama Fakih, Director of the Middle East and North Africa division at Human Rights Watch, emphasized, "Whenever white phosphorus is employed in densely populated civilian zones, it presents a grave risk of agonizing burns and enduring suffering."

She further explained, "White phosphorus is inherently indiscriminate when airburst in densely populated urban regions, as it can ignite buildings and cause severe harm to civilians."

IOF murder civilians using white phosphorus

Earlier, the spokesperson for the Civil Defense in Gaza, Mahmoud Basal, told Al Mayadeen that "the occupation is committing acts of genocide": adding that they were employing white phosphorus in their attacks against civilian targets.

He added that the occupation is committing acts of genocide amid an absence of any Arab intervention.

"The occupation is committing many massacres, with the latest being in the Al-Rimal neighborhood, which was considered relatively safe," Basal said: adding that there are many deaths in the northern parts of Gaza that are inaccessible to the Civil Defense teams.

Chemical properties

White phosphorus is a combustible (ignites when exposed to oxygen) and a severely fatal chemical. The combustible reaction produces light, heavy white smoke, and heat of about 815°C.

White phosphorus is highly soluble in human flesh and causes deadly thermal and chemical burns that can go as deep as the bones.

Direct contact is extremely excruciating and can leave long-lasting damage to internal organs. Even inhaling its vapor can cause severe inflammation in the trachea.

Under International Law

The use of white phosphorus bombs, which fall under the category of incendiary weapons in international law, is governed by Article 2 Protocol III of the 1980 Convention on Certain Conventional Weapons (to which "Israel" is a signatory).

Article 2.1 reads that the use of white phosphorus bombs against civilians and civilian objects is absolutely prohibited.

Furthermore, Article 2.2 specifies that even targeting any military objective located within a concentration of civilians by airstrikes is also categorically prohibited.

Israeli precedents in employing Phosphorus

The Israeli occupation forces had long used various internationally prohibited weapons against civilians in violation of international humanitarian law.

Israeli occupation forces employed white phosphorus bombs in 2006 against Lebanese civilians, in 2008-2009 against Palestinian civilians in Gaza, and again in 2014 against civilians in Gaza.

In all three wars, "Israel" claimed to use phosphorus bombs for illumination purposes.