Israel uses white phosphorus in Gaza, video shows
Washington PostOct 13, 2023
Israel has used white phosphorus munitions in recent attacks on both Gaza and Lebanon, Human Rights Watch (HRW) said in a report issued Thursday.
While the use of white phosphorus — a self-igniting chemical that burns at extremely high temperatures — is permitted under international law when used on battlefields, its use against a civilian population is generally considered a war crime.
White phosphorus has legitimate military uses. More details — such as the intended target of the alleged attacks as well as the accuracy of these reports — need to be established before we rush to the conclusion that Israel is committing war crimes.
Gaza is one of the most densely populated places in the world. Israel's use of white phosphorus is clearly a war crime in this context, violating international law on unnecessarily putting civilians at risk of harm.
There is a 30% chance that a state-based conflict between Israel and Iran will cause at least 1,000 deaths before 2025, according to the Metaculus prediction community.