Human Rights Watch confirmed in a statement released Thursday that white phosphorus was used over the Gaza City port on Wednesday, after interviewing two witnesses who noted the stifling smell of white phosphorus. The organization also analyzed video of the event and identified airburst 155mm white phosphorus artillery projectiles were used in the strike. They condemned the use of the chemical, which can severely burn people and set fire to civilian structures, in such a densely populated area.
The Israel Defense Forces said they “are currently not aware of the use of weapons containing white phosphorous in Gaza.”
“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 in a statement Thursday.
International humanitarian law requires parties to take all feasible precautions to prevent harm to civilians that can result from military operations.
While there are legitimate uses of white phosphorus, using the munition, “against any military objective within concentrations of civilians is prohibited unless the military objective is clearly separated from the civilians,” Peter Herby wrote in a 2009 opinion for the International Committee of the Red Cross.
It is not clear if this incident would be considered a violation of the laws of armed conflict, Brian Castner, a weapons investigator with Amnesty International, who reviewed video of the Oct. 11 strike at The Post’s request wrote in an email.
“We would need to know more about the intended target of this attack, and the intended use of the white phosphorus, to make a definite legal judgment about this particular case,” Castner wrote. “But generally, any attacks that fail to discriminate between civilians and military forces can potentially be a violation of the laws of war.”
Israel repeatedly used white phosphorus during it’s 22-day long campaign in Gaza that spanned from the end of 2008 to early 2009, including over populated areas, killing and injuring civilians, and violating International Humanitarian Law, a 2009 report from Human Rights Watch found.
Palestinian officials said more than 1,500 people in Gaza, which is one of the most densely populated places in the world, have been killed and some 6,600 injured as a result of Israeli strikes that came in response to Hamas’s Oct. 7 attack.
Cate Brown in Washington and Gabòr Friesen in The Hague contributed to this report.
Abhinav Thawait is a globe-trotting correspondent with a passion for international affairs. With a background in international relations, he offers a global perspective on the most pressing issues around the world. Abhinav’s curiosity takes his to the far corners of the earth, where he seeks to share untold stories and diverse viewpoints.
