Israel Has Allegedly Dropped White Phosphorus On A School Run By The UN Where Thousands Were Sheltering
The UN-run Abu Assi school housed thousands of displaced Palestinians.
Israeli forces have allegedly fired white phosphorus bombs at a school operated by the United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) in the Shati refugee camp in northern Gaza.
A video filmed by Palestinian journalist Ahmed Hijazi near the UNRWA-run Abu Assi School, which housed thousands of displaced Palestinians, showed white phosphorus bombs falling from the sky, with people attempting to extinguish them with sand.
White phosphorus is a chemical that can cause severe burns and set fire to civilian properties and fields.
When inhaled, it can lead to serious suffocation and life-long health damage.
About five people were killed in the airstrike, according to Al Jazeera.
On Nov. 2, Amnesty International published evidence proving that Israel had used artillery shells containing white phosphorus in four military operations in Gaza and Lebanon from Oct. 10 to 17.
Human Rights Watch also verified videos showing white phosphorus airbursts during the same period.
White phosphorus is not entirely banned in international humanitarian law but it cannot be used in populated civilian areas, where civilians and military fighters cannot be distinguished.
Israel has denied using the bombs and said its forces “use all its weapons in accordance with international law.”
