UK Edition
Human Rights Watch has accused Israel of using white phosphorus munitions capable of burning human flesh in Gaza and Lebanon.
The international non-governmental organisation claimed it had verified videos showing repeated use of artillery-fired white phosphorus in Gaza and Lebanon on Tuesday and Wednesday.
White phosphorus can cause severe burns, putting civilians at risk of serious and long-term injuries, including causing multiple organ failure.
Its use as a weapon of war in Gaza, one of the most densely populated places on the planet, violates international humanitarian laws, HRW said.
Upon contact, white phosphorus can burn people “down to the bone” as it is highly soluble in human flesh, according to the NGO.
Dressed wounds can reignite when the dressings are removed and the wounds are re-exposed to oxygen, and even relatively minor burns can prove fatal.
HRW said it had verified footage showing multiple airbursts of artillery-fired white phosphorus over Gaza City’s port and in two rural locations along the Israel-Lebanon border.
It said it had also interviewed two people who described an attack in Gaza.
They estimated that the attack took place sometime between 11.30 am and 1pm. Both said that the smell was stifling.
“Any time that white phosphorus is used in crowded civilian areas, it poses a high risk of excruciating burns and lifelong suffering,” said Lama Fakih, Middle East and North Africa director at Human Rights Watch.
“White phosphorus is unlawfully indiscriminate when airburst in populated urban areas, where it can burn down houses and cause egregious harm to civilians.”
Earlier this week, The New York Times published claims by Lebanese army officials that Israel had used white phosphorus on the Lebanese-Israeli border.
A spokesman for the Israeli army denied the use of white phosphorus at that time, saying soldiers had deployed only illumination flares.
Human Rights Watch said the Israeli authorities have not commented on their findings, but the organisation claimed it has documented the Israeli military’s use of white phosphorus in previous conflicts in Gaza, including in 2009.
A spokesman for the IDF told The Telegraph: “We are currently not aware of the use of weapons containing white phosphorus in Gaza. Any use of weapons containing white phosphorus is subject to international law restrictions.”