The “Wall Street Journal” reported that the U.S. State Department is investigating allegations of Israeli Air Force’s use of white phosphorus in its airstrikes on Gaza and South Lebanon.
According to the newspaper, citing U.S. officials, the investigation aims to determine whether the weapons provided by the United States to Israel were improperly used to kill civilians.
Authorities are looking into the aerial attack on Jabaliya refugee camp (northern Gaza) on October 31st last year, which resulted in the death of more than 125 people.
The American newspaper pointed out that investigators suspect Israel may have used a bomb weighing approximately 907 kilograms in that raid.
Previous Accusations
Last October, the Palestinian Foreign Ministry accused Israel of using white phosphorus in shelling densely populated areas in Gaza.
The ministry, in a post on the X platform accompanied by a video, stated that “the Israeli occupation uses internationally prohibited white phosphorus against Palestinians in the Karama area in northern Gaza.”
Founder and President of the Euro-Mediterranean Observatory for Human Rights, Rami Abdo, also shared the same video on X platform, stating that it shows the Israeli military using “toxic white phosphorus weapons on densely populated areas in northwest Gaza City.”
The organization Human Rights Watch had mentioned in previous reports that Israel used white phosphorus in several wars, particularly in Gaza.
According to the organization, “white phosphorus is a chemical substance deployed by artillery shells, bombs, rockets, and mortars, primarily used for camouflage in ground military operations.”
It explained that “its use in open areas is allowed under international law, but white phosphorus exploding in the air above populated areas is illegal as it exposes civilians to risks.”
Since October 7, 2023, the Israeli occupation army has been waging a destructive war on Gaza, leaving tens of thousands of civilian casualties, mostly children and women, in addition to an unprecedented humanitarian disaster and massive infrastructure destruction, leading Israel to face the International Court of Justice on charges of genocide.
