The Israel Defence Forces have denied allegations by Human Rights Watch that they have used white phosphorus munitions in their military operations in Gaza and Lebanon.
HRW said the use of such weapons put civilians at risk of serious and long-term injury. Palestinian groups have asked for the international criminal court to investigate.
Israel’s military initially said it was “currently not aware of the use of weapons containing white phosphorus in Gaza”. Later, it hardened its response, saying: “The current accusation … regarding the use of white phosphorus in Gaza is unequivocally false.”
Israel has been bombarding Gaza in retaliation for a Hamas rampage in southern Israeli towns that killed at least 1,300 people last weekend. At least 1,500 Palestinians have been killed. Israel has also traded barbs with Lebanon’s Hezbollah group.
HRW said it had verified videos taken in Lebanon on 10 October and Gaza on 11 October showing “multiple airbursts of artillery-fired white phosphorus over the Gaza City port and two rural locations along the Israel-Lebanon border”. It said it had interviewed two people who described an attack in Gaza.
It provided links to two videos posted on social media that it said showed “155mm white phosphorus artillery projectiles being used, apparently as smokescreens, marking or signalling”. Both showed scenes near the Israel-Lebanon border, it said. The group did not provide links to videos showing their alleged use in Gaza.
Palestinian TV channels have broadcast videos in recent days showing thin plumes of white smoke lining the sky over Gaza that they say was caused by such munitions.
Israel’s military said in 2013 it was phasing out white phosphorus smokescreen munitions used during its 2008-09 offensive in Gaza, which drew war crimes allegations from various rights groups.
The military at the time did not say whether it would also review use of weaponised white phosphorus, which is designed to incinerate enemy positions.
HRW said: “White phosphorus, which can be used either for marking, signalling and obscuring, or as a weapon to set fires that burn people and objects, has a significant incendiary effect that can severely burn people and set structures, fields and other civilian objects in the vicinity on fire.”
White phosphorus munitions can legally be used on battlefields to make smokescreens, generate illumination, mark targets or burn bunkers and buildings. Israel could be using the material to mark targets.
Because it has legal uses, white phosphorus is not banned as a chemical weapon under international conventions.
White phosphorus is considered an incendiary weapon under protocol 3 of the convention on the prohibition of use of certain conventional weapons. The protocol prohibits using incendiary weapons against military targets located among civilians, although Israel has not signed it and is not bound by it.