The Euro-Med Human Rights Monitor has said that the Israeli army has launched more than 1000 strikes utilizing internationally prohibited white phosphorus on populated areas since it started its genocidal war on the Gaza Strip on October 7.
In a statement on Thursday the Euro-Med Monitor said it had documented the Israeli army’s indiscriminate use of white phosphorus against civilians describing it as an “incendiary substance that burns human flesh and causes lifelong suffering.”
Euro-Med said that its team received testimonies affirming that the Israeli army carried out 300 strikes with white phosphorus bombs and projectiles within a period of about 40 minutes on Wednesday evening November 15 on a residential block in Beit Lahia town north of Gaza.
“The night before a large number of white phosphorus shells were reportedly seen falling on a crowded populated area in Sheikh Radwan neighborhood north of Gaza City. Similar attacks also occurred on several occasions in al-Shati refugee camp in western Gaza and the town and camp of Jabalia north of the Strip” Euro-Med elaborated.
“Palestinian residents said they suffered from severe shortness of breath and coughing as a result of inhaling white phosphorus in the midst of extremely unpleasant odors spreading in the air and severe blurred vision due to the thick white smoke” Euro-Med cited.
According to Euro-Med people exposed to white phosphorus can suffer from respiratory damage organ failure and other serious and life-altering injuries including burns that are extremely difficult to treat and cannot be relieved with water.
“The escalating use of white phosphorus and smoke bombs against densely populated areas comes within the framework of forced displacement and ethnic cleansing that are being practiced by the Israeli army in order to force half of the Gaza’s population to leave their homes shelters and hospitals and move to areas in the south of the Gaza Valley.”
Euro-Med accused Israel of persisting in violating the principles of proportionality and precaution by launching random attacks on the Gaza Strip and directly targeting the lives and health of civilians and using internationally prohibited weapons in flagrant violation of the international humanitarian law and the rules of war.
“In addition to that Israel uses bombs with huge destructive power against populated areas and such bombs pose the single greatest threat to civilians in modern armed conflicts. This explains the severity of the massive destruction that turns entire residential neighborhoods into rubble and ruins in the Gaza Strip.”
