In the face of recent escalations between Israel and Hamas, Human Rights Watch (HRW) asserted that the Israel Defence Forces (IDF) had used white phosphorous in munitions aimed at populated urban areas. The IDF repudiated these claims in follow-up communications.
White phosphorous is a poisonous substance that burns at over 800 degrees Celsius. Often, it is employed as a non-lethal military device, typically used to generate smokescreens or to set fire to unoccupied structures, and for this purpose, it is categorized as a multipurpose munition rather than as an incendiary weapon, as reported here.
In their response to the allegations, IDF reportedly released statements refuting the use of white phosphorous. Reuters informed that the Israeli military declared, “The current accusation made against the IDF (Israel Defence Force) regarding the use of white phosphorus in Gaza is unequivocally false. The IDF has not deployed the use of such munitions.”
Although to use white phosphorous is legal, Protocol III of the 1980 Convention on Certain Conventional Weapons prevents the use of incendiary weapons against civilians—Israel, though, is not a member to the protocol.
Lama Fakih, Middle East and North Africa director at Human Rights Watch, commented: “Any time that white phosphorus is used in crowded civilian areas, it poses a high risk of excruciating burns and lifelong suffering. White phosphorous is unlawfully indiscriminate when airburst in populated urban areas, where it can burn down houses and cause egregious harm to civilians.”
This is not the first time that such a claim of white phosphorous being used against civilians by the Israeli military has arisen. Amnesty International found “indisputable evidence” of such usage in 2009, which led to human rights organizations denouncing Israel for the use of white phosphorous in Gaza. The dispute continues with the recent claims made by HRW.