Human Rights Watch (HRW) accused Israel of using white phosphorus munitions in its military operations in Gaza and Lebanon, endangering civilians. Israel's military responded that it was not aware of white phosphorus use in Gaza and made no comment regarding Lebanon.
The backdrop of these accusations is Israel's retaliatory strikes on Gaza after a Hamas attack in southern Israeli towns, resulting in casualties on both sides. Tensions have also risen with Lebanon's Hezbollah group.
HRW claimed to have verified videos from Lebanon and Gaza depicting airbursts of artillery-fired white phosphorus, posting links to two videos showing the alleged use near the Israel-Lebanon border.
However, HRW didn't provide videos as evidence of white phosphorus use in Gaza. Palestinian TV channels have shown videos of white smoke plumes in Gaza, attributing them to such munitions, but Reuters couldn't independently confirm these claims.
In 2013, Israel's military stated it was phasing out white phosphorus smokescreen munitions, previously used during its 2008-2009 Gaza offensive. White phosphorus has legal battlefield applications such as creating smoke screens, illumination, marking targets, or incinerating enemy positions.
While not banned as a chemical weapon under international conventions due to its legal uses, white phosphorus can inflict severe burns and cause fires.