Israel is using white phosphorus in Gaza, human rights group says
Israel denies knowledge of weapons in Gaza containing the material
For two days, Shaymaa Ziara has been seeing messages in WhatsApp group chats from family and friends in Gaza about how to keep themselves safe from white phosphorus bombs that are allegedly part of Israel's airstrikes on Gaza.
Ziara, who lives in Markham, Ont., said her father, three siblings and pregnant sister-in-law are currently in Gaza, moving from building to building in an effort to avoid the constant bombardments from Israel since hostilities began after Hamas militants launched a stunning and brutal attack in Israel on Saturday.
Videos of white phosphorus munitions allegedly deployed in Gaza have been circulating online for several days.
On Thursday, Human Rights Watch said it has confirmed that these munitions are being used over the Gaza City port using videos posted on Oct. 10 and 11, and interviewing two people from the al-Mina area in Gaza City who described the strikes.
"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. "White phosphorus is unlawfully indiscriminate when airburst in populated urban areas, where it can burn down houses and cause egregious harm to civilians."
White phosphorus has a characteristic dense white smoke and garlic smell, according to the group. The witnesses said the smell was "stifling," according to Human Rights Watch.
CBC News has not independently verified the rights group's accounts of white phosphorus munitions being used by Israel.
White phosphorus is a waxy material that burns easily, igniting when exposed to atmospheric oxygen. According to Human Rights Watch, it can be used either for marking, signalling and obscuring, or as a weapon to set fires that burn people and objects.
When people come into contact with it, "even relatively minor burns are often fatal," the group writes, because it burns until it is deprived of oxygen and can re-ignite if dressings are removed from an already dressed wound.
The group said it is particularly concerned by videos showing material being dispersed over a wide area (up to 250 meters in diameter) by bursting in the air.
"Airbursting of white phosphorus projectiles spreads [the substance] ... thereby exposing more civilians and civilian structures to potential harm than a localized ground burst," its statement said.
Israel has been criticized by Human Rights Watch and other groups in 2008-09 for the widespread use of white phosphorus bombs on civilian populations instead of a less lethal smokescreen during battle.
Asked for comment on the allegations by Reuters, Israel's military said it was "currently not aware of the use of weapons containing white phosphorus in Gaza."
Nevertheless, messages circulating in Ziara's group chats with friends and family — one of which was seen by CBC News and translated from Arabic by Ziara — show people sharing information about how to stay safe from white phosphorus munitions. One of the messages circulating was shared by the Palestinian Civil Defence on social media.
"We want you to know that you can put out the phosphorus fire on the ground by burying it in sand and after around an hour the fire will go out," reads one of the messages. "Do not try to put the fire out using water. Regarding the smell, you can place an onion or a wet cloth on the nose and eyes."
A need for legal clarity on use
International law does not classify white phosphorus as a chemical or incendiary weapon, and its use in war is not prohibited, said Houchang Hassan-Yari, professor emeritus of politics and international relations at the Royal Military College of Canada in Kingston, Ont. But its impact when used in civilian areas muddies the waters.
"Generally speaking, the bomb is used to blind the anti-air system of the other side because the fume that it generates covers the attackers," Hassan-Yari said. "But the consequence if the bomb is used against the humans, many believe is a war crime. So it's not very clear cut ... and there is a need for clarity by UN agencies to confirm whether this bomb should ... be identified as a chemical weapon."
According to groups like Human Rights Watch and Amnesty International, the use of white phosphorus bombs, which ignite when in contact with oxygen, in densely populated areas — like the 365 sq. km Gaza Strip that is home to more than two million people — violates international humanitarian law.
Other countries, including Russia, the United States, Turkey and Saudi Arabia have also been accused of using white phosphorus in various battles over the past decade.
White phosphorus bombs may be the latest in a series of retaliatory attacks from Israel against the population of Gaza, which is under total blockade and constant airstrikes, and is fast running out of food, fuel and medicine. Israel took these steps after Hamas's surprise attack on Saturday in which more than 1,000 Israelis were killed and more than 100 were taken hostage.
Ziara, who lived in Gaza until 2015, said things are worse for Palestinians now than ever before.
"In 2014, that was some of the toughest days that I've personally witnessed. It was just so unbearable ... at some points I was wishing ... the next bomb just takes me out," she said.
"When my family and friends tell me that this is on a completely new scale, I can't imagine what they're going through."
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With files from Reuters