Human Rights Watch said today that it has determined, based on verified video and witness accounts, that Israeli occupation forces used white phosphorus in military operations in Lebanon and Gaza on Oct. 10 and 11, 2023, respectively.
The organization said today that videos show multiple airbursts of artillery-fired white phosphorus over the Gaza City port and two rural locations along the Israel-Lebanon border. It noted that white phosphorus has the potential to cause civilian harm due to the severe burns it causes and its lingering long-term effects on survivors. It also said that the use of White Phosphorus in densely populated areas of Gaza violates the requirement under international humanitarian law that parties to the conflict take all feasible precautions to avoid civilian injury and loss of life.
“Any time that white phosphorus is used in crowded civilian areas, it poses a high risk of excruciating burns and lifelong suffering,” MENA Director at Human Rights Watch Lama Fakih said.
“White phosphorous is unlawfully indiscriminate when airburst in populated urban areas, where it can burn down houses and cause egregious harm to civilians,” she added.
Source: Qatar News Agency