Using this substance in densely populated areas in Gaza places civilians at great risk, says Marc Garlasco from Human Rights Watch. Photo: AP Photo/Hatem Moussa/Scanpix

Marc Garlasco: Don't Use White Phosphorus in Crowded Gaza

Israel should not use white phosphorus in military operations in heavily populated areas of Gaza. This chemical substance can cause hideous burns to people who come in contact with it and can set anything else it touches on fire.

Israel appears to be using white phosphorus to hide its troop movements. While Israel has not affirmed its use of the substance in its Gaza operations, both direct observations by Human Rights Watch staff familiar with white phosphorous and media photographs show all the signs that it is being used.

While the use of white phosphorous is not banned under the international laws of war, these same laws also require Israel to take all feasible precautions to avoid civilian injury and loss of life.

Using this substance in densely populated areas in Gaza, which has one of the highest population densities in the world, places civilians at great risk.

White phosphorous can cause horrific burns when it touches the skin, and it can burn down houses and other buildings. When the substance is air-burst as an "obscurant", it can fall over an area about the size of a football field, about the same area affected by a cluster bomb. Anyone and anything below is in danger of being seriously burned.

Furthermore, the media photographs of air-bursting white phosphorus projectiles at relatively low altitudes increases the likelihood and potential range for civilian casualties, as well as the possible damage to civilian objects.

When ground-burst, it is more concentrated and remains longer. The cloud it creates is dependent on atmospheric conditions so it is impossible to generalize how long it will remain in the air.

White phosphorous is dispersed in artillery shells, bombs, and rockets. Because it is used primarily to obscure military operations on the ground, it is not considered a chemical weapon and is not banned.

It ignites and burns on contact with oxygen and creates a smokescreen at night or during the day to mask the sight of troops moving. It also interferes with infra-red optics and weapon-tracking systems, thus protecting military forces from guided weapons such as anti-tank missiles.

The conflict in Gaza has already taken a tragically heavy toll on civilians, including the elderly and women and children, as well as on homes, schools and hospitals, facilities that are desperately needed to provide help and shelter in the current humanitarian crisis in Gaza.

The people of Gaza are prevented from leaving, and they really have nowhere to go to be truly safe from the fighting. In fact, many of the places to which they have turned for shelter have have been hit or destroyed in the course of the military operations.

Israel says that it wants to minimize civilian damage. It should show that it means what it says by immediately barring use of this substance by its troops in Gaza?s densely populated neighborhoods.

Marc Garlasco
Senior Military Analyst, Human Rights Watch, N.Y.

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