Human Rights Watch (HRW) has issued a strong condemnation of Israel’s use of white phosphorus in southern Lebanon, underscoring the significant harm and displacement caused to civilians. According to a report by HRW, Israel deployed white phosphorus in 17 municipalities since October 2023, largely targeting densely populated areas. Investigations and interviews conducted by HRW revealed that airburst munitions containing the chemical were used on residential buildings, resulting in injuries to at least 173 people, with two individuals suffering from asphyxiation. The full report can be accessed on the HRW website.
White phosphorus, primarily used by military forces for its incendiary properties, poses severe risks to human health. The World Health Organization (WHO) describes it as “harmful to humans by all routes of exposure,” capable of causing severe burns and respiratory tract damage, often resulting in death. Although the substance is not explicitly banned under the Chemical Weapons Convention (CWC), its use can breach international protocols such as Protocol III of the Convention on Certain Conventional Weapons (CCW), which prohibits attacks on civilians or civilian objects using incendiary weapons. More information about these regulations is available on the ICRC database.
This is not the first instance of Israel facing international censure for deploying white phosphorus. In October 2023, HRW and other organizations like Amnesty International published reports and presented evidence of the chemical’s use in populated urban zones in Gaza and Lebanon. Additional details can be found in an article on JURIST.
HRW calls on Israel to immediately halt the use of white phosphorus in populated areas and urges the international community to strengthen regulations on such incendiary weapons to enhance civilian protection. Ramzi Kaiss, Lebanon researcher at HRW, emphasized the necessity for “stronger international standards” to prevent further civilian casualties and advocated for exploring less harmful alternatives. The organization’s detailed critique of current international law deficiencies can be found in their fact sheet.