Human Rights Watch on Thursday accused Israel of using white phosphorus munitions in its military operations in Gaza and Lebanon, saying the use of such weapons puts civilians at risk of serious and long-term injury.
  • hassanmckusick@lemmy.discothe.questEnglish
    42·
    2 years ago

    White phosphorus munitions can legally be used on battlefields to make smoke screens, generate illumination, mark targets or burn bunkers and buildings. Because it has legal uses, white phosphorus is not banned as a chemical weapon under international conventions, but it can cause serious burns and start fires.

    You just can’t use it to hit people (I don’t think you’re allowed set buildings on fire to kill people either)

    And Israel is on thin ice because they used white phosphorous before in '09 (not claiming they used it illegally because I can’t find a source that will say one way or the other)

    • 0ryX@lemm.eeEnglish
      2·
      2 years ago

      https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/White_phosphorus_munitions#International_law Article 1 of Protocol III of the Convention on Certain Conventional Weapons defines an incendiary weapon as "any weapon or munition which is primarily designed to set fire to objects or to cause burn injury to persons through the action of flame, heat, or combination thereof, produced by a chemical reaction of a substance delivered on the target". Article 2 of the same protocol prohibits the deliberate use of incendiary weapons against civilian targets (already forbidden by the Geneva Conventions)