As Israel vows to completely dismantle Hamas and its terror network, carrying out intensive strikes on Gaza targets in response to a land-sea-air assault by the Palestinian terror group, allegations regarding the use of white phosphorus bombs by the powerful West Asian nation are flying thick.
Palestine has accused Israel of employing phosphorus incendiary weapons in bombing densely populated areas within the Gaza Strip. Its Foreign Ministry expressed its concern on micro-blogging platform X, stating, "The Israeli occupation is using internationally banned white phosphorus bombs against the Palestinians in the Karama neighbourhood in northern Gaza."
Rami Abdo, founder of the European Observatory for Human Rights, shared a video clip on the X platform, claiming it depicted Israel's use of phosphorus bombs. He asserted, "Israeli military forces are using toxic white phosphorus [bombs] on densely populated areas northwest of Gaza City." Human Rights Watch, a New York-based rights group, previously cited reports of Israel's usage of white phosphorus bombs in Gaza during past conflicts
While using white phosphorus weapons to generate a smokescreen and cover troop movements is legally accepted, the 1980 Geneva Convention prohibits its use in densely populated areas. The use of white phosphorus bombs on civilians is considered a war crime and was last used by Russia in Ukraine's Bakhmut.
Numerous videos and claims circulating on social media suggest that Israeli forces have been employing banned white phosphorus bombs in the densely populated region of Gaza. The Gaza Strip, a Palestinian territory under Israeli blockade, has been governed by Hamas for many years. The Gaza Strip, which is under a total seize by the Israeli military, is one of the most densely populated places on Earth and home to over two million people residing in a visibly squeezed 362-square-kilometre area.