What are white phosphorus bombs?
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00:00This is what a white phosphorus bomb explosion looks like.
00:11The plumes of smoke when inhaled cause sudden scarring of lungs, suffocate people to death,
00:16and melt flesh just like the napalm bomb.
00:22White phosphorus is a colorless or yellowish translucent, wax-like substance that smells
00:27a bit like garlic and ignites on contact with oxygen.
00:31When used, it's characterized by a loud bang and a plume of bright white smoke.
00:35It can stay dormant in the ground, but exposure to air causes it to ignite immediately.
00:40Under the Chemical Weapons Convention, white phosphorus is not considered a chemical weapon,
00:44and is thus used on battlefields to make smoke screens, generate illumination, mark targets,
00:49or burn bunkers and buildings.
00:51But it is illegal to use it as an incendiary weapon in war zones and in heavily populated
00:56civilian areas.
00:58It burns fiercely and can inflict horrific injuries, kill and burn to the bone, and its
01:02usage constitutes a war crime.
01:04White phosphorus bombs were called Willie Pete and were used during World War I and
01:08World War II.
01:09The Pentagon acknowledged the use of white phosphorus munitions in the Iraqi city of
01:14Fallujah in 2004.
01:16In 2008-2009, it was used by Israel on civilian areas during its recurring military campaigns
01:22in Gaza.
01:23Israel has been using artillery-fired white phosphorus in southern Lebanon and Gaza since
01:28October 2023, according to Human Rights Watch.
01:32At least 173 people have been reportedly injured by exposure to white phosphorus in Lebanon
01:38between October and late May.
01:40In recent days, Lebanese media accused Israel of dropping phosphorus bombs in the country's
01:45capital Beirut.
01:47HRW says Israel's use of airburst white phosphorus munitions in populated areas indiscriminately
01:54harms civilians and has led many to leave their homes.