Amnesty says 'Israel' shelling Lebanon with banned phosphorus munition
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Amnesty International says the Israeli occupation is bombing southern Lebanon using internationally prohibited white phosphorus.
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White phosphorus shells from Israeli artillery explode over Dahaira, a Lebanese border village with occupied Palestine, south Lebanon, October 16, 2023 (AP)
The Israeli occupation forces are using artillery shells that contain internationally prohibited white phosphorus in southern Lebanon, Amnesty International said on Tuesday, underlining that civilians in residential areas were directly affected by the banned munition.
The Israeli occupation forces, according to the human rights organization, fired white phosphorus munition toward southern Lebanon during military operations carried out all over the Lebanese-Palestinian border between October 10 and October 16.
The organization called for an investigation into what it deemed a "war crime" committed by "Israel" in its recent attack on the town of Dhahiriya days earlier, where the attack failed to distinguish between civilians and military personnel, resulting in at least nine civilian casualties.
Amnesty International explained that compelling evidence documenting the use of white phosphorus in three incidents was gathered, explaining that there had been three instances between October 10 and October 16 where it was used in Dhahiriya as well as the border towns of Mari and Aita al-Shaab.
On the other hand, Deputy Regional Director of Amnesty International Aya Majzoub, stated that the indiscriminate use of white phosphorus by the Israeli military was a "horrific act" that violates international humanitarian law.
She added that the unlawful use of white phosphorus in Dhahiriya "endangered the lives of civilians," with many of them being hospitalized and residents of the village forced to flee as their homes and vehicles were burned.
Majzoub emphasized that the occupation forces must immediately cease their use of white phosphorus, especially in populated areas, and adhere to its commitments made in 2013, despite having disregarded it.
Human Rights Watch confirmed that the Israeli occupation used white phosphorus in its attacks on Gaza and Lebanon on October 10 and 11.
In a Q&A article about white phosphorus, Human Rights Watch expressed concerns about the Israeli occupation's use of phosphorus in military operations in Gaza and Lebanon, highlighting the serious and long-term risks it poses to civilians.
Human Rights Watch substantiated these claims with video evidence from Lebanon and Gaza, which depicted multiple airbursts of artillery-fired white phosphorus over the Gaza City port and two rural locations along the occupied Palestine-Lebanon border.
White phosphorus, with its dual capability for marking, signaling, and obscuring or as an incendiary weapon, can cause severe burns to individuals and ignite structures, fields, and other civilian objects in the vicinity.
International law explicitly forbids the use of phosphorus, and such actions are considered violations by the occupying forces. It's worth noting that assaults employing air-delivered incendiary weapons in civilian areas are outlawed under Protocol III of the Convention on Conventional Weapons (CCW).
Chemical properties
White phosphorus is a combustible (ignites when exposed to oxygen) and a severely fatal chemical. The combustible reaction produces light, heavy white smoke, and heat of about 815°C.
White phosphorus is highly soluble in human flesh and causes deadly thermal and chemical burns that can go as deep as the bones.
Direct contact is extremely excruciating and can leave long-lasting damage to internal organs. Even inhaling its vapor can cause severe inflammation in the trachea.
Under International Law
The use of white phosphorus bombs, which fall under the category of incendiary weapons in international law, is governed by Article 2 Protocol III of the 1980 Convention on Certain Conventional Weapons (to which "Israel" is a signatory).
Article 2.1 reads that the use of white phosphorus bombs against civilians and civilian objects is absolutely prohibited.
Furthermore, Article 2.2 specifies that even targeting any military objective located within a concentration of civilians by airstrikes is also categorically prohibited.
Israeli precedents in employing Phosphorus
The Israeli occupation forces had long used various internationally prohibited weapons against civilians in violation of international humanitarian law.
Israeli occupation forces employed white phosphorus bombs in 2006 against Lebanese civilians, in 2008-2009 against Palestinian civilians in Gaza, and again in 2014 against civilians in Gaza.
In all three wars, "Israel" claimed to use phosphorus bombs for illumination purposes.
