White phosphorus used by Israel in Gaza strike, video shows - The Washington Post
By: Meg Kelly (Washington Post)
S E E D E D C O N T E N T
Video filmed on Wednesday of an Israeli strike on Gaza City port appears to show the use of white phosphorus, according to an analysis by Human Rights Watch. The controversial munition, which is commonly used to create smoke to mark targets, can cause severe harm when used against civilians.
The video, which was verified by The Washington Post, shows two artillery shells fired in quick succession toward the target. When the artillery-fired munition explodes, the white phosphorus automatically ignites in the air, creating white lines followed bya thick smoke.
Human Rights Watch confirmed in a statement released Thursday thatwhite phosphorus was used over the Gaza City port on Wednesday, after interviewing two witnesses who noted the stifling smell of white phosphorus. The organization also analyzed video of the event and identified airburst 155mm white phosphorus artillery projectiles were used in the strike. They condemned the use of the chemical, which can severely burn people and set fire to civilian structures, in such a densely populated area.
The Israel Defense Forces said they "are currently not aware of the use of weapons containing white phosphorus in Gaza."
"Any time that white phosphorus is used in crowded civilian areas, it poses a high risk of excruciating burns and lifelong suffering," said Lama Fakih, Middle East and North Africa director at Human Rights Watch in a statement Thursday.
A spokesperson for the Palestinian Red Crescent said the medics working for the organization had seen injuries consistent with the use of white phosphorus.
International humanitarian law requires parties to take all feasible precautions to prevent harm to civilians that can result from military operations.
While there are legitimate uses of white phosphorus, using the munition, "against any military objective within concentrations of civilians is prohibited unless the military objective is clearly separated from the civilians," Peter Herby wrote in a 2009 opinion for the International Committee of the Red Cross.
It is not clear if this incident would be considered a violation of the laws of armed conflict, Brian Castner, a weapons investigator with Amnesty International, who reviewed video of the Oct. 11 strike at The Post's request wrote in an email.
"We would need to know more about the intended target of this attack, and the intended use of the white phosphorus, to make a definite legal judgment about this particular case," Castner wrote. "But generally, any attacks that fail to discriminate between civilians and military forces can potentially be a violation of the laws of war."
Israel repeatedly used white phosphorus during its 22-day long campaign in Gaza that spanned the end of 2008 to early 2009, including over populated areas, killing and injuring civilians, and violating International Humanitarian Law, a 2009 report from Human Rights Watch found.
Palestinian officials said more than 1,500 people in Gaza, which is one of the most densely populated places in the world, have been killed and some 6,600 injured as a result of Israeli strikes that came in response to Hamas's Oct. 7 attack.
Cate Brown in Washington and Gabor Friesen in The Hague contributed to this report.
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"Rules of war" is really an oxymoron. So we get the prohibited activity happening anyway, regardless, of the "rules", and the responsible military denying it even though there is video evidence. And its not just Israel, its every country that goes to war.
Rules of war went out the window in the period between 1939 and 1945.
Israel is going to kill an unknown number of civilians in Gaza, including many children, and then try and explain by saying they didnt "want to". Again , Israel is not alone in such behavior during wars.
JR, we, the US, used Willie Peter (white phosphorus) Naplam and Agent Orange in Vietnam. The first casualty of war is innocence the only rule is to stay alive or kill them before they kill me.
That is the ugly truth the rest is nothing more than platitudes.
I think that is what I said.
Do you really believe Israel wants to kill innocent Palestinians? It is possible to feel terrible for what is quite possibly about to happen to innocent Palestinians but do it anyway so your own people (and eventually the Palestinians (post Hamas) )can live in peace..
It is also possible to understand there will never be peace between Israel and Gaza as long as Hamas is embedded in Gaza. After Hamas is gone hopefully eventually there will be a solution that Hamas has been rejecting for decades.
The situation sucks but IMO Israel need to do what they need to do. I now hear reports that Israel is telling Palestinians to go south and Hamas is not letting them.
Any innocent Palestinian blood is on Hamas, not Israel.
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You are not going to tell me I have not denounced Hamas. Not on any of my articles anyway. Get that through your head.
Is Hamas guilty of this?
Yes or no?
I have denounced Hamas massacre of Israelis numerous times on this forum. I hope Israel kills them all.
Now you are done here. I'm going to delete every further comment you make.
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He has said, at least three times on this forum that I have not denounced Hamas. I'm not going to allow lies like that on any of my seeds. It shouldnt be allowed on any seed on this forum but TPTB call it "free speech".
The fallacy of your stance is your attempt to separate Palestine from Hamas. You do understand who is in power in Palestinian government since 2006 right?
Hamas does not control the West Bank.
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Interesting article about what the Palestinians want. Don't know anything about the people that wrote it though.
Once again the hypocrisy and double standards from the left continue, or is it just because they are antisemites? Obama double tap drone stikes to kill first responders.....Crickets. Bombing hospitals, Crickets. But they are watching Isreal like a starving dog looking at a pork chop, fucking hypocrites.
That was my first comment on this seed. There is no hypocrisy here. Calm down.
It's the consequences of your position, JR. Probably need to get used to it. In case you are unaware, which I suspect you are, you are attempting to give the Palestinian cause some sort of legitimacy while at the same time, denounce their atrocities, as if they can be separated.
Near as I can tell, you seem to think the Palestinian question has something to do with the rights of the dispossessed or something. You seem to think that all they want is a fair shake or some other platitude. You don't seem to understand that, to the minds of many of us, you don't recognize what the actual goal of the Palestinians is.
There is no "apartheid". There is no "second class citizenship". There is no "we just want our country back". There is only the desire to wipe Israel off the face of the earth. This is why no one who is right of center left takes you seriously. While you have condemned the attack by Hamas, you have yet to recognize and admit to the goals of the Palestinians, let alone reject them. Therefore, all that you say, all that you try to convince us of, is that we should join you in joining the Palestinian's goal of killing Israel. Because that is their goal, whether you refuse to recognize it or simply refuse to admit it.
You have the right to your opinion, but that is utter nonsense.
As far as this article goes, I made my belief plain as day in the first comment. If people are too stupid to understand what I said that is their problem.
The difference, JR, is that, for Israel, killing innocents is not the goal. It is not the purpose for which they wage war against Hamas.
Why?
There is an organization within Israel called "Breaking The Silence" which is based on first person testimony from Israeli soldiers who have served in the Occupied Territory during this century. The "silence" they are breaking is the idea that Palestinians are not treated poorly in the West Bank.
These are Israeli soldiers who tell stories of how either they did themselves, or witnessed, Palestinians being mistreated by the Israeli military.
I'm sure the dead and dying civilians will take great comfort in that.
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They have formed an opinion of you, John, and that is that you are a far leftist. I know you're not, but that's what fits their narrative. And so the trolling will continue
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