Israeli munitions, white flames, and smoke that human rights group say indicate the use of white phosphorus on the Gaza Strip in January of 2009.
White phosphorus is an incendiary weapon that burns at extreme temperatures when exposed to oxygen, causing deep, severe burns that are difficult to treat when it comes into contact with human flesh and harm to the respiratory tract when inhaled.
While it is legal to use on the battlefield in certain circumstances, including for illumination and as a smokescreen, under the Convention on Conventional Weapons (this link opens in a new window) it is illegal to use white phosphorus munitions in or near populated areas. Israel is not a signatory to the convention.
Despite this prohibition, Israel has repeatedly used white phosphorous shells illegally in populated areas of Gaza and Lebanon, including:
In 2009, during Israel’s attack on Gaza known as Operation Cast Lead, Human Rights Watch documented (this link opens in a new window) the Israel military’s widespread illegal use of white phosphorus shells in urban areas, killing at least 12 civilians, including seven children and three women, and damaging civilian buildings, including attacks on a market, two hospitals, a UN compound, and a UN school. In total, Israel fired more than 200 white phosphorus shells into Gaza, one of the most densely populated places on earth, during the assault.
In October 2023, Israel began using white phosphorus in Gaza and Lebanon again in violation of international law. Israel initially denied (this link opens in a new window) it, however Human Rights Watch verified (this link opens in a new window) videos of “multiple airbursts of artillery-fired white phosphorus” fired by the Israeli military over the Gaza City port and along the Israel-Lebanon border, calling it a violation of international law. Amnesty International also documented (this link opens in a new window) the presence of white phosphorus shells at an Israeli army base near Gaza.
According (this link opens in a new window) to the Lebanese National Council for Scientific Research, between October 2023 and July 2024, the Israeli military used white phosphorus 175 times in attacks on southern Lebanon, starting fires that burned approximately 1,500 acres of farmland.
In March 2026, Human Rights Watch reported (this link opens in a new window) that Israel used white phosphorus munitions in violation of international law over the southern Lebanese town of Yohmor, endangering civilians. In its report (this link opens in a new window), HRW noted:
“The Israeli military’s unlawful use of white phosphorus over residential areas is extremely alarming and will have dire consequences for civilians… The incendiary effects of white phosphorus can cause death or cruel injuries that result in lifelong suffering.”
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