AhlulBayt News Agency: During geopolitical conflicts, governments, driven by their objectives and interests, occasionally ignore environmental agreements and human rights, utilizing weaponry that not only profoundly affects civilian populations but also causes severe damage to environmental resources. Phosphorus bombs, a highly consequential weapon in this context, have been frequently utilized in recent years, particularly in the conflicts of the Western Asia region. This has sparked regional apprehensions regarding the potential future environmental repercussions of their escalated deployment.
From the onset of the 21st century until now, the Western Asia region has witnessed numerous significant wars, wherein phosphorus bombs were deployed in urban settings and against civilians in the majority of these conflicts, resulting in substantial environmental harm in the affected areas.
These include the Coalition Wars orchestrated by the United States in Iraq and Afghanistan in 2001 and 2003, the thirty-three-day conflict in Lebanon in 2006, the Gaza-Israel war in 2008, the Yemeni conflict and the coalition led by Saudi Arabia in 2009 and 2015, the U.S. utilization of phosphorus bombs during the Syrian War, and the reciprocal allegations of deploying this weapon by the Republic of Azerbaijan and Armenia during the Nagorno-Karabakh War in 2020.
Among these instances, following the United States, the Zionist regime has extensively employed phosphorus bomb weaponry in overseas conflicts with resistance groups in Palestine and Lebanon. In the recent Gaza War, the Zionists recurrently utilized this banned weapon to target civilians in urban bombardments.
Additionally, recent media accounts from the battleground in the northern occupied territories suggest the resumed deployment of phosphorus bombs by Tel Aviv in border regions within Lebanese territory amid the ongoing confrontations between the Zionist army and Hezbollah.
Hazards Posed by Phosphorus Bombs to Humans, Animals, and the Environment
White phosphorus exhibits notable incendiary and chemical impacts, capable of causing severe burns to individuals and setting animals, structures, gardens, farms, and nearby non-military properties ablaze. Furthermore, beyond its immediate consequences, white phosphorus has adverse effects on the environment and plants, lingering in the soil for several years without alteration, rendering it impossible for non-combatants to revert to pre-war living conditions.
Previous research suggests that trees and lands tainted with white phosphorus, particularly in the eastern regions of the Gaza Strip, such as around Mount Rize, have undergone significant discoloration, genetic mutations, soil erosion, diminished productivity, and a lack of plant growth. Even numerous agricultural areas targeted by Israeli weaponry now lie barren.
In response, the Ministry of Agriculture in Gaza has consistently reiterated the advisory for farmers and livestock owners to refrain from cultivating crops or feeding animals in areas affected by the rain of phosphorus bombs.
This situation has led to the consensus among Palestinian authorities, international observers, and the residents of Gaza that Israel has systematically and deliberately employed weaponry containing hazardous, cancer-causing, and radioactive materials. This has directly impacted the environment, posing a serious threat to both human and animal life in the areas affected by these projectiles.
According to the Middle East Monitor, Prof. Paola Manduca, a genetics specialist at the University of Genoa and a member of an Italian research team addressing this matter, has asserted that the analysis of soil samples from 2005 and samples collected post-war reveals significant variations in the concentration of heavy metals.
The report, derived from the examination of samples taken from two craters resulting from Israeli bomb explosions in Beit Hanoun, the Jabalia refugee camp in July 2006, and two other instances involving apple orchards damaged during the 2013 war, highlights that white phosphorus stands out as the primary factor contributing to the environmental crisis in Gaza's agricultural sector.
This team also discovered that the concentration of the highly toxic metal "molybdenum" is 25 to 3000 times higher than the natural levels in the soil. Molybdenum, a rare element in the soil, poses a significant threat to male fertility and can result in the birth of malformed infants, miscarriages, and heightened fertility risks.
Although incendiary weapons are not explicitly prohibited by international humanitarian laws, customary humanitarian laws mandate that countries take all necessary precautions to prevent harm to civilians, animals, and the environment.
Additionally, incendiary weapons fall under the regulation of the Third Protocol of the Convention on Conventional Weapons (CCW) of 1983. This protocol explicitly forbids the use of incendiary weapons against "civilians."
Palestine and Lebanon are signatories to Protocol 3, while the Zionist regime has chosen not to adopt this protocol, aligning with its disregard for other international laws pertaining to prohibited chemical and nuclear weapons.
What has Israel's historical stance and strategy concerning white phosphorus been?
The Zionist regime has a troubling history of utilizing white phosphorus against non-combatants. Throughout the "Cast Lead" operation, spanning from December 27, 2008, to January 18, 2009, the occupying army deployed phosphorus weapons over 200 times in densely populated areas of Gaza, targeting places like schools, markets, humanitarian aid depots, and hospitals.
Despite Zionist assertions that these projectiles were solely intended for generating dense smoke screens, international watchdogs, including Human Rights Watch, documented the deaths and injuries of numerous civilians subjected to the onslaught of these weapons.
The renewed use of such weapons in the 2014 war elicited widespread international condemnation, leading the Zionists to stage a trial aiming to prohibit army attacks with phosphorus bombs on densely populated areas in Gaza. This move was ostensibly made to preserve their reputation and alleviate external pressures. However, there has been no effective restriction on the use of this weapon by Zionist military forces, as demonstrated by Tel Aviv's ongoing deployment of phosphorus weapons in Gaza and even Lebanon in the 100 days since the initiation of the Zionist regime's air and ground assaults on Gaza.
White phosphorus: a tool for genocide and policies of forced displacement in Lebanon and Gaza
Disregarding the immediate casualties inflicted by phosphorus bombs on the battlefield, capable of causing indiscriminate harm to numerous civilians across a broad area, the enduring impact of this weapon on the environment, agriculture, livelihoods, and the health of future generations of non-combatants underscores the primary objective of the Zionist regime: genocide and forced displacement.
Presently, apart from the conflict in Gaza, the Zionists are entangled in a war and security crisis on the northern front with Lebanon, resulting in the evacuation of a substantial portion of Zionist settlements surrounding Gaza and the Lebanon border. The relocation of this population has presented significant challenges for the Zionist cabinet. On one hand, the government's assurances regarding the military's control over these areas and the assurance of stable security for the settlements have not been well-received. Consequently, phosphorus bombings along the borders of the occupied territories with Gaza and Lebanon may be intended to establish uninhabitable buffer zones.
Conversely, the Zionist cabinet has consistently announced its pursuit of identifying a voluntary relocation plan for a segment of the two million Palestinian residents in Gaza. Undoubtedly, one of the pivotal means to actualize this scenario involves the destruction of people's pastures and agricultural lands, endangering their livelihoods and future sources of income, thereby complicating living conditions in Gaza.
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From the onset of the 21st century until now, the Western Asia region has witnessed numerous significant wars, wherein phosphorus bombs were deployed in urban settings and against civilians in the majority of these conflicts, resulting in substantial environmental harm in the affected areas.
These include the Coalition Wars orchestrated by the United States in Iraq and Afghanistan in 2001 and 2003, the thirty-three-day conflict in Lebanon in 2006, the Gaza-Israel war in 2008, the Yemeni conflict and the coalition led by Saudi Arabia in 2009 and 2015, the U.S. utilization of phosphorus bombs during the Syrian War, and the reciprocal allegations of deploying this weapon by the Republic of Azerbaijan and Armenia during the Nagorno-Karabakh War in 2020.
Among these instances, following the United States, the Zionist regime has extensively employed phosphorus bomb weaponry in overseas conflicts with resistance groups in Palestine and Lebanon. In the recent Gaza War, the Zionists recurrently utilized this banned weapon to target civilians in urban bombardments.
Additionally, recent media accounts from the battleground in the northern occupied territories suggest the resumed deployment of phosphorus bombs by Tel Aviv in border regions within Lebanese territory amid the ongoing confrontations between the Zionist army and Hezbollah.
Hazards Posed by Phosphorus Bombs to Humans, Animals, and the Environment
White phosphorus exhibits notable incendiary and chemical impacts, capable of causing severe burns to individuals and setting animals, structures, gardens, farms, and nearby non-military properties ablaze. Furthermore, beyond its immediate consequences, white phosphorus has adverse effects on the environment and plants, lingering in the soil for several years without alteration, rendering it impossible for non-combatants to revert to pre-war living conditions.
Previous research suggests that trees and lands tainted with white phosphorus, particularly in the eastern regions of the Gaza Strip, such as around Mount Rize, have undergone significant discoloration, genetic mutations, soil erosion, diminished productivity, and a lack of plant growth. Even numerous agricultural areas targeted by Israeli weaponry now lie barren.
In response, the Ministry of Agriculture in Gaza has consistently reiterated the advisory for farmers and livestock owners to refrain from cultivating crops or feeding animals in areas affected by the rain of phosphorus bombs.
This situation has led to the consensus among Palestinian authorities, international observers, and the residents of Gaza that Israel has systematically and deliberately employed weaponry containing hazardous, cancer-causing, and radioactive materials. This has directly impacted the environment, posing a serious threat to both human and animal life in the areas affected by these projectiles.
According to the Middle East Monitor, Prof. Paola Manduca, a genetics specialist at the University of Genoa and a member of an Italian research team addressing this matter, has asserted that the analysis of soil samples from 2005 and samples collected post-war reveals significant variations in the concentration of heavy metals.
The report, derived from the examination of samples taken from two craters resulting from Israeli bomb explosions in Beit Hanoun, the Jabalia refugee camp in July 2006, and two other instances involving apple orchards damaged during the 2013 war, highlights that white phosphorus stands out as the primary factor contributing to the environmental crisis in Gaza's agricultural sector.
This team also discovered that the concentration of the highly toxic metal "molybdenum" is 25 to 3000 times higher than the natural levels in the soil. Molybdenum, a rare element in the soil, poses a significant threat to male fertility and can result in the birth of malformed infants, miscarriages, and heightened fertility risks.
Although incendiary weapons are not explicitly prohibited by international humanitarian laws, customary humanitarian laws mandate that countries take all necessary precautions to prevent harm to civilians, animals, and the environment.
Additionally, incendiary weapons fall under the regulation of the Third Protocol of the Convention on Conventional Weapons (CCW) of 1983. This protocol explicitly forbids the use of incendiary weapons against "civilians."
Palestine and Lebanon are signatories to Protocol 3, while the Zionist regime has chosen not to adopt this protocol, aligning with its disregard for other international laws pertaining to prohibited chemical and nuclear weapons.
What has Israel's historical stance and strategy concerning white phosphorus been?
The Zionist regime has a troubling history of utilizing white phosphorus against non-combatants. Throughout the "Cast Lead" operation, spanning from December 27, 2008, to January 18, 2009, the occupying army deployed phosphorus weapons over 200 times in densely populated areas of Gaza, targeting places like schools, markets, humanitarian aid depots, and hospitals.
Despite Zionist assertions that these projectiles were solely intended for generating dense smoke screens, international watchdogs, including Human Rights Watch, documented the deaths and injuries of numerous civilians subjected to the onslaught of these weapons.
The renewed use of such weapons in the 2014 war elicited widespread international condemnation, leading the Zionists to stage a trial aiming to prohibit army attacks with phosphorus bombs on densely populated areas in Gaza. This move was ostensibly made to preserve their reputation and alleviate external pressures. However, there has been no effective restriction on the use of this weapon by Zionist military forces, as demonstrated by Tel Aviv's ongoing deployment of phosphorus weapons in Gaza and even Lebanon in the 100 days since the initiation of the Zionist regime's air and ground assaults on Gaza.
White phosphorus: a tool for genocide and policies of forced displacement in Lebanon and Gaza
Disregarding the immediate casualties inflicted by phosphorus bombs on the battlefield, capable of causing indiscriminate harm to numerous civilians across a broad area, the enduring impact of this weapon on the environment, agriculture, livelihoods, and the health of future generations of non-combatants underscores the primary objective of the Zionist regime: genocide and forced displacement.
Presently, apart from the conflict in Gaza, the Zionists are entangled in a war and security crisis on the northern front with Lebanon, resulting in the evacuation of a substantial portion of Zionist settlements surrounding Gaza and the Lebanon border. The relocation of this population has presented significant challenges for the Zionist cabinet. On one hand, the government's assurances regarding the military's control over these areas and the assurance of stable security for the settlements have not been well-received. Consequently, phosphorus bombings along the borders of the occupied territories with Gaza and Lebanon may be intended to establish uninhabitable buffer zones.
Conversely, the Zionist cabinet has consistently announced its pursuit of identifying a voluntary relocation plan for a segment of the two million Palestinian residents in Gaza. Undoubtedly, one of the pivotal means to actualize this scenario involves the destruction of people's pastures and agricultural lands, endangering their livelihoods and future sources of income, thereby complicating living conditions in Gaza.
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