Palestine accuses Israel of using white phosphorus bombs in Gaza

RAMALLAH, Palestine

Palestine on Tuesday accused Israel of using phosphorus incendiary weapons in bombing populated areas in the Gaza Strip.

“The Israeli occupation is using internationally banned white phosphorus bombs against the Palestinians in the Karama neighborhood in northern Gaza,” the Foreign Ministry said on X platform.

Rami Abdo, the founder of the European Observatory for Human Rights, posted a video clip on the X platform of what he said was Israel’s use of phosphorus bombs.

“Israeli military forces are using toxic white phosphorus [bombs] on densely populated areas northwest of Gaza City,” he wrote.

The New York-based rights group Human Rights Watch had earlier cited reports of Israel’s use of white phosphorus bombs in Gaza during past conflicts.

The use of white phosphorus weapons to generate a smokescreen and cover troop movements is legally accepted, but the 1980 Geneva Convention forbids its use in densely populated areas.

There was no comment from Israel on the claim.

Israel continued its airstrikes on the Gaza Strip for the third day on Tuesday, following a multi-front Hamas attack on Israeli towns near the seaside territory. Hamas said the attack was in response to Israeli violations in the flashpoint Al-Aqsa Mosque complex in occupied East Jerusalem and increased settler violence.

Gaza’s Health Ministry said at least 830 Palestinians were killed and 4,250 others injured in the Israeli bombardment of the strip. More than 1,000 Israelis have been killed, according to the Israeli daily Haaretz.