Israel-Hamas War: Global human rights watchdog, Amnesty International on Tuesday confirmed the use of white phosphorus by Israel in military operations along Lebanon's border between October 10 to 16. The organisation released a long statement accusing the army of the war-ridden Jewish state of firing artillery shells containing the lethal chemical weapon.
The statement also listed an instance of the use of the weapon in a border town of southern Lebanon.
[A shell from Israeli artillery explodes over Dahaira, a Lebanese border village with Israel, south Lebanon, Monday, Oct. 16, 2023. Lebanon’s militant Hezbollah group says its fighters have targeted five Israeli posts along the border in the country’s south. (AP Photo/Hussein Malla)/Credits-Amnesty International]
"One attack on the town of Dhayra on 16 October must be investigated as a war crime because it was an indiscriminate attack that injured at least nine civilians and damaged civilian objects, and was therefore unlawful," said the organisation in its statement.
Recommended For You
“It is beyond horrific that the Israeli army has indiscriminately used white phosphorous in violation of international humanitarian law. The unlawful use of white phosphorus in Lebanon in the town of Dhayra on 16 October has seriously endangered the lives of civilians, many of whom were hospitalized and displaced, and whose homes and cars caught fire,” said Aya Majzoub, Deputy Regional Director for the Middle East and North Africa at Amnesty International.
[An Israeli army soldier adjusts the tip to a 155mm artillery shell near a self-propelled howitzer deployed at a position near the border with Lebanon in the upper Galilee region of northern Israel on October 18, 2023. Israeli troops killed four militants attempting to infiltrate from Lebanon, the army said on October 17, as tensions run high along the border between the two countries. (Photo by Jalaa MAREY / AFP)/Credits Amnesty International]
Since October 7, tensions in southern Lebanon have significantly increased, with Israeli shelling causing the death of at least four civilians and 48 Hezbollah militants. In response, Hezbollah and other armed groups have launched rockets at northern Israel, resulting in the deaths of six Israeli soldiers and one civilian, as reported by the Israeli army. Amnesty International is currently looking into these attacks by Hezbollah and other armed groups in northern Israel to assess whether they have breached international humanitarian law.
What is White Phosphorus?
White phosphorus is an incendiary material, typically used to generate a thick smoke screen or mark targets. Upon exposure to air, it ignites at extremely high temperatures, initiating fires in the targeted areas. People exposed to white phosphorus may endure respiratory harm, organ failure, and other severe and enduring injuries, such as burns that prove exceptionally challenging to treat and are impervious to water extinguishment. Burns impacting just 10 per cent of the body often lead to fatal outcomes.
"The usage of white phosphorus is restricted under international humanitarian law. Although there can be lawful uses, it must never be fired at, or in close proximity to, a populated civilian area or civilian infrastructure, due to the high likelihood that the fires and smoke it causes spread. Such attacks, which fail to distinguish between civilians and civilian objects and fighters and military objectives, are indiscriminate and thus prohibited," said the statement.