Israel Used White Phosphorus in Lebanon, Gaza Strikes

MOSCOW (Sputnik) - The Human Rights Watch non-governmental organization (NGO) said Thursday that it verified videos of Israel using artillery-fired white phosphorus to strike Lebanon and the Gaza Strip on October 10 and 11, and warned of great risks to civilians.

"Israel’s use of white phosphorus in military operations in Gaza and Lebanon puts civilians at risk of serious and long-term injuries," the organization said on the website, detailing "multiple airbursts of artillery-fired white phosphorus over the Gaza City port and two rural locations along the Israel-Lebanon border."

The NGO specified it "reviewed two videos from October 10 from two locations near the Israel-Lebanon border," and also analyzed a video taken in Gaza City’s port on October 11 and "identified that the munitions used in the strike were airburst 155mm white phosphorus artillery projectiles," adding that "white smoke and a garlic smell are characteristics of white phosphorus."

Human Rights Watch also said it interviewed by phone two eyewitnesses from the al-Mina area in Gaza City who said they observed the strikes "consistent with the use of white phosphorus." The individuals described the explosions in the sky as being followed by "white lines going earthward," detailing the smell after the strikes was "stifling."

"Any time that white phosphorus is used in crowded civilian areas, it poses a high risk of excruciating burns and lifelong suffering," Lama Fakih, Middle East and North Africa director at Human Rights Watch, said in the statement.

"White phosphorous is unlawfully indiscriminate when airburst in populated urban areas, where it can burn down houses and cause egregious harm to civilians."

The NGO noted that white phosphorus "can burn people, thermally and chemically, down to the bone as it is highly soluble in fat and therefore in human flesh," adding that "white phosphorus fragments can exacerbate wounds even after treatment and can enter the bloodstream and cause multiple organ failure."

The group further said that "even relatively minor burns are often fatal," and create physical disabilities for survivors. The organization continued, emphasizing that "the trauma of the attack, the painful treatment that follows, and appearance-changing scars lead to psychological harm and social exclusion."

"The use of white phosphorus in densely populated areas of Gaza violates the requirement under international humanitarian law to take all feasible precautions to avoid civilian injury and loss of life," the group said.

The use of incendiary weapons, such as napalm or white phosphorus, is banned under Protocol III to the Convention on Prohibitions or Restrictions on the Use of Certain Conventional Weapons Which May Be Deemed to Be Excessively Injurious or to Have Indiscriminate Effects of 1980, according to the UN Office for Disarmament Affairs.

The Israel Defense Forces has said that the service is presently "not aware of the use of weapons containing white phosphorous in Gaza."

A prior analysis by the group concluded that Israel had used white phosphorus during a 22-day effort in Gaza that started in late 2008.

On October 7, Hamas launched a surprise large-scale rocket attack against Israel from the Gaza Strip, prompting Israel to declare a state of war the following day and launch retaliatory strikes.

Israel ordered a complete blockade on Monday of the Gaza Strip, home to more than 2 million people, cutting off supplies of water, food and fuel. Both Israel and Palestine have reported over 1,000 deaths and thousands of injuries as a result of the escalation.