A British doctor who spent six weeks in Gaza has accused Israel of dropping white phosphorus on Palestinian civilians as he described seeing bodies pock-marked with burns like “Swiss cheese”.
Dr Ghassan Abu-Sittah, a British-Palestinian surgeon, said patients had distinctive burns that had penetrated deep into their flesh, wounds he said were consistent with the use of the incendiary chemical.
The Israel Defence Forces (IDF) have denied using white phosphorus in Gaza and Lebanon in their response to the October 7 Hamas attacks when about 1,200 people were killed and an estimated 240 hostages were taken.
White phosphorus can be used to illuminate battlefields but is very hard to extinguish once ignited and burns through human flesh. Its use in civilian areas is highly controversial
