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 Smoke and fire caused by explosions from Israeli military operations on the outskirts of Gaza City. Jan. 8, 2009 (AP Photo/Hatem Moussa, Files)
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 Multimedia
 Aljazeera: Looting the Holy Land documentary
Oct. 12, 2010 12:18 PM (EST+7)
Al-Jazeera Int: Gaza's zoo for sale
April 25, 2010 8:25 AM (EST+7)
UN helps free Gaza of Israeli bombs
April 4, 2010 8:11 PM (EST+7)
BTselem: Palestinians displaced in Gaza war still in tents
May 24, 2009 8:19 AM (EST+7)
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Background
 War on Gaza
Israeli nuclear capabilities
Refugees and internally displaced persons
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Documents
Fueling conflict: Foreign arms supplies to Israel/Gaza
Remarks by President Obama and Prime Minister Netanyahu of Israel, March 6, 2012
Fueling conflict: Foreign arms supplies to Israel/Gaza
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Publications
The Israeli Assassination Policy in the Aqsa Intifada
Poll No. 78, Dec. 2012 - Gaza, Resistance and the UN Bid
Poll No. 67, January 2009 - Palestinian opinions after the Gaza War
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Resources
FACTBOX-Facts about Israel's nuclear capabilities, Reuters, March 8, 2010
“Occupied territory - the legal issues” ICRC
al-Haq position paper on Israeli obligations in Gaza, January 2008 (pdf)
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Use of white phosphorus in areas with “concentration of civilians” is illegal under international law.
In medical terms, white phosphorus can be exposed to soft tissue in the human body when inhaled or ingested. Deep absorption of the chemical can cause heart, liver and kidney damage and, in some cases, death. Its impact on skin resembles burn injuries that have a yellowish color and a pungent odor.
USE IN GAZA
Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch have both documented Israel's use of white phosphorus in its Dec. 2008 - Jan. 2009 offensive on Gaza.
Human Rights Watch published an in-depth report on March 25, 2009, titled “Rain of Fire: Israel’s unlawful use of white phosphorus in Gaza.” It concluded:
“The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) repeatedly exploded white phosphorus munitions in the air over populated areas, killing and injuring civilians, and damaging civilian structures, including a school, a market, a humanitarian aid warehouse and a hospital.”
The 75-page document produced first hand evidence of Israeli military’s illegal use of white phosphorus in densely populated areas during the Gaza war. One of the prominent instances was the firing of phosphorus shells by Israeli forces on January 15, 2009, around an UNRWA compound in Gaza that was sheltering civilians. This account includes statements from UNRWA officials of repeated requests to the military to stop the attacks, which continued for two hours. The report concluded that such usage was “deliberate,” “reckless” and “indiscriminate."
Amnesty International called for an immediate arms embargo on Israel by the US, which continues to supply Israel with weapons.
After denying the use of white phosphorus in Gaza, Israeli officials admitted its use on April 23, 2009 saying they had ordered a halt to its deployment on Jan. 7, 2009.
INTERNATIONAL LAW
Article two, protocol III of the 1980 UN Convention on Certain Conventional Weapons states: "It is prohibited in all circumstances to make the civilian population as such, individual civilians or civilian objects, the object of attack by incendiary weapons."
However, the convention allows use of weapons containing white phosphorus for military purposes that do not use its toxic properties as a chemical weapon.
PRECEDENT
The use of white phosphorus in war is a new phenomenon. US army generals have described its impact as comparable to napalm, which was used by US forces in the Vietnam War.
Israel's use of white phosphorus in Gaza has no precedent in international law. The closest case of similar use was in the Iraq war of 2003, where allegations arose over the use of "unusual" weapons by US coalition troops, specifically in Fallujah.
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Sources | "Rain of Fire: Israel's use of White Phosphorus in Gaza," Human Rights Watch report, Mar 25, 2009 | | Medical explanation of impact of WP, e-Medicine | | "The fog of war: white phosphorus, Fallujah and some burning questions," Guardian, Nov. 15, 2005 | | UN convention on use of incendiary weapons, May 3, 1996 (with amendments) | | "Israel accused of 'indiscriminate' use of white phosphorus," The Independent, March 26, 2009 | | "Israel used white phosphorus in Gaza civilian areas," Amnesty International, Jan. 19, 2009 | | "US Munitions Delivered to Israel," Amnesty International, April 2, 2009 | | "Israel backs down over white phosphorus," Times, April 23, 2009 |
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