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The Israeli military has been using white phosphorus in Gaza and south Lebanon. There’s a lot of confusion out there about white phosphorus, so let’s look at what it is, what it isn’t, and how it’s problematic.
White phosphorus is a chemical substance, dispersed in artillery shells, bombs, and rockets. When exposed to oxygen, it ignites, and the chemical reaction produces intense heat (815°C, 1500°F), light, and thick smoke. It is commonly used as a military tool to create a smokescreen to obscure military operations, or to make enemy targeting more difficult, or mark enemy targets.
It also inflicts appalling injuries when it comes in contact with people. White phosphorus is not considered a chemical weapon, because it operates primarily by heat and flame rather than toxicity, but its impact on the human body is nonetheless horrific.
It causes severe burns, often down to the bone, and burns on only ten percent of the body are often fatal. It can also cause respiratory damage and organ failure. Survivors often experience a lifetime of suffering.
White phosphorus can be burst over or on an area at different heights. When released on or near the ground, the area immediately affected is generally smaller. When airburst, however, white phosphorus covers a larger area and spreads its incendiary effects more widely. If an airburst is over a populated area, the risks to civilians are obvious.
White phosphorus is not specifically banned by international humanitarian law. However, like all actions in a conflict, its use is still bound by the laws of war, whose core concept is that all parties to a conflict must distinguish, at all times, between combatants and civilians. The law requires all parties to take all feasible precautions to minimise harm to civilians and civilian objects.
Using airburst white phosphorus is unlawfully indiscriminate in populated areas and otherwise does not meet this legal requirement to take all feasible precautions to avoid civilian harm. White phosphorus doesn’t discriminate, falling on military opponents and civilians alike.
This brings us to Israel’s actions in Gaza and south Lebanon. We’ve written about this before, but a new report further documents Israel’s widespread use of white phosphorus in south Lebanon since October. This includes at least five municipalities where white phosphorus munitions were unlawfully airburst over populated residential areas, putting civilians at grave risk.
So, what’s to be done?
In the immediate term, Israel should prohibit all use of airburst white phosphorus munitions in populated areas. Israel has already developed different munitions as a replacement, so why aren’t they using them?
Lebanon, for its part, should turn to the International Criminal Court and enable the investigation and prosecution of grave international crimes on Lebanese territory since October.
And in the longer term and globally, stronger international standards are needed against the use of white phosphorus. We should work to protect civilians everywhere from the harmful effects of incendiary weapons.
