• Hyperreality@kbin.social
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    1 year ago

    Reasons that the use of white phosphorous is considered worse than conventional munitions listed in the article (which you also didn’t read):

    … the use of such weapons puts civilians at risk of serious and long-term injury … white phosphorus smokescreen munitions used during its 2008-2009 offensive in Gaza … drew war crimes allegations … Because it has legal uses, white phosphorus is not banned as a chemical weapon under international conventions, but it can cause serious burns and start fires. … is considered an incendiary weapon under Protocol III of the Convention on the Prohibition of Use of Certain Conventional Weapons. The protocol prohibits using incendiary weapons against military targets located among civilians, although Israel has not signed it and is not bound by it.

    The HRW article goes into a bit more detail about how severe these serious injuries are, what happened during the 2008-2009 offensive that drew war crimes allegations, and Israel’s current stance on the use of white phosphours.

    You’re welcome.