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World Affairs
Mahesh

14/10/23 06:58 AM IST

Israel used white phosphorus in Gaza, Lebanon

In News
  • Human Rights Watch accused Israel of using white phosphorus during its military operations in Gaza and Lebanon.
White Phosphorus
  • White phosphorus is a waxy, yellowish-to-clear chemical with a pungent, garlic-like odour.
  • It is a highly combustible chemical that burns quickly and brightly when exposed to air.
  • It is used in incendiary weapons by militaries around the world, including the United States, for a variety of purposes, such as illuminating targets at night, or to just inflict damage on enemies.
  • This chemical reaction produces intense heat (about 815 degrees Celsius), light, and thick white smoke, which is used by armies to create smokescreens in sensitive zones.
  • White phosphorus can cause fast-moving and widespread fires on the ground.
  • Once ignited, the substance is very difficult to put out, as it clings to many surfaces, including skin and clothing.
  • It is incredibly dangerous to civilians because it can cause severe burns that penetrate deep into the tissue and bone, and it can reignite even after treatment.
Usage of White Phosphorus in wars
  • One of the earliest usages of white phosphorous in military battles was reported in the 1800s when Fenian or Irish nationalists used it against British forces.
  • The formulation used by the Irish Republicans came to be known as "Fenian fire".
  • The British army used it in both the World Wars.
  • US forces, after invading Iraq, used the chemical weapon against insurgents in the city of Fallujah.
  • Israel, not unfamiliar with these accusations, admitted that it used phosphorus shells during the battle against Hezbollah during the 2006 Lebanon War.
Banned by UN
  • In 1972, the United Nations General Assembly passed a resolution calling incendiary weapons a "category of arms viewed with horror."
  • "Incendiary weapons are weapons or munitions designed to set fire to objects or cause burn or respiratory injury to people through the action of flame, heat, or combination thereof, resulting from a chemical reaction of a flammable substance such as napalm or white phosphorus," the UN says.
  • In 1980, the world agreed to ban or limit the use of certain weapons that cause too much pain or harm to civilians.
  • Protocol III of this agreement restricts the use of weapons that set things on fire.
Source- Hindustan Times

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