Israel’s Use Of White Phosphorus Will Scar Gaza For Generations

-Analysis-

Israel’s war on Gaza will likely cause congenital deformities and chronic disease among Gaza residents because of Israel’s use of massive quantities of explosives, missiles and internationally banned white phosphorus bombs.

Those who survive the bombings will not be spared the long-term effects of such weapons, even if he or she is not directly wounded. Fumes in the air can permanently affect the respiratory system, and could affect the development of fetuses in the wombs of mothers who inhale these materials.

With the war in its third month, all of Gaza has become a target of Israel’s military. No place in the coastal strip is safe.

The enclave has been hit by more than 52,000 tons of Israeli explosives which have destroyed citizens’ homes, hospitals, schools, and civilian institutions, according to the director general of the government media office in Gaza, Ismail al-Thawabta.

Al-Thawabta said that there is no doubt that the Israeli army is using lethal weapons with high destructive power in this war, and is deliberately causing the greatest amount of destruction.

“It is as if it wants it to be a new Hiroshima,” he says.

Health system collapse

The U.S. pledged to provide weapons and aid to Israel worth more than billion, which makes America a partner in the war, he said. The U.S. has provided tanks, planes, missiles, and bombs to the Israeli military.

Al-Thawabta says Palestinian agencies have issued warnings which aim to provide the minimum protection for citizens from exposure to the dangers of these missile emissions. Such emissions are particularly dangerous to people’s health given the collapsed health system in Gaza, he adds.

The conflict has so far killed about 20,000 people and wounded over 52,000 others in Gaza since Oct. 7. All areas of Gaza have been bombed, including the southern city of Rafah, which the Israeli military had claimed was a safe area.

Israeli denials

The Israeli military has denied using white phosphorus bombs in the ongoing war. But Amnesty International has said that the banned bombs have been used by Israel in Gaza and Lebanon, and is calling for an international investigation. The Israeli military had previously used the weapons in the 2008 war in Gaza.

Wassef Erekat, a Palestinian military expert, says Israel has used various types of bombs in its war, including the M-107 shell, which contains nearly 2,000 fragments and can spread over an area of 1,000 meters.

He also says Israel has used white phosphorus bombs, which cause phosphorus to burst in the sky before landing on the ground.

Israel has not signed the agreement and is not bound by it.

Such shells and bombs have been used in densely populated areas across Gaza, in violation of international humanitarian law (the laws of war), which requires that all feasible precautions be taken to avoid harm to civilians. The law also prohibits attacks that do not distinguish between military and civilian targets.

It is noteworthy that white phosphorus is considered an incendiary weapon under the Third Protocol to the Convention on the Prohibition of the Use of Conventional Weapons. That protocol prohibits the use of incendiary weapons against military targets located among civilians. Israel has not signed the agreement and is not bound by it.

Catastrophic damage

Iyad al-Jabri, the medical director of the al-Aqsa Martyrs Hospital in the central city of Deir al-Balah, exposure to phosphorous could lead to death long after active fighting ends.

“In wide areas, such bombardment causes widespread catastrophic damage to all aspects of life,” he says. “It is a toxic substance and has an impact in the short and long terms.”

It can take 30 to 40 years for the soil to recover from the chemicals.

The short-term effects include burns, especially areas in the body that are exposed to the phosphorus, he said. And in the long-term, it affects the respiratory system, liver, kidneys and heart, and can cause various types of cancer, such as leukemia.

“White phosphorus causes great risk, especially for children,” he says. “It causes immune deficiency, infections and ulcers in the mouth and severe chest infections, and may lead to death, especially of newborns, due to their weak immunity.”

Pregnant women are also exposed to great risk, including the death of fetuses, he says.

Environmental Impacts

Ahmed al-Sharida, head of the Society for Development for Man and the Environment, said that white phosphorous also affects the environment.

He says that the chemicals included in such bombs have grave impacts on the soil and lead to the death of crops and fruit trees. He says it can take 30 to 40 years for the soil to recover from the chemicals and toxic gases of white phosphorous bombs.

Such bombs also have a significant effect on water, as its chemicals interact with both hydrogen and oxygen, making the water unsuitable for either drinking or irrigation, he says.

And for sea water, it becomes more acidic, killing all marine organisms, especially fish and algae, he adds.