Palestine has levelled accusations against Israel, claiming the latter’s use of white phosphorus bombs against civilians in Gaza’s Karama neighbourhood as Tel Aviv signals an intensified response to a Hamas attack, hinting at a potential ground offensive.
On social media X, the Palestinian Foreign Ministry stated, “The Israeli occupation is using internationally banned white phosphorus bombs against Palestinians in northern Gaza’s Karama neighbourhood.”
Rami Abdo, founder of the European Observatory for Human Rights, amplified these claims, sharing a video purportedly depicting Israel’s deployment of such weapons. “Israeli military forces are resorting to toxic white phosphorus on densely inhabited regions northwest of Gaza City,” he reported.
Past Allegations and Legal Standpoints
It’s worth noting that Human Rights Watch, headquartered in New York, had previously alluded to Israel’s use of white phosphorus in Gaza in previous skirmishes. While its use to obscure and shield military advancements is permissible, the 1980 Geneva Convention explicitly prohibits deploying it in areas with dense civilian populations. Israel has not yet responded to these allegations.
Read: Escalation in Israel-Hamas Conflict: Death Toll Rises to 1830
Meanwhile, Israel’s military reported extensive airstrikes in a Gaza City district, claiming it was a counter to Hamas’ unprecedented attacks. According to local health officials, the death toll in Gaza is approximately 900, with an additional 4,600 injured.
Last Saturday, Hamas gunmen witnessed a particularly brutal offensive in southern Israel, marking it the most lethal Palestinian assault in Israel’s history. Israel’s public broadcaster, Kan, puts the weekend’s casualties at around 1,200. These victims were predominantly non-combatants, facing violence in their residences, on thoroughfares, and even during outdoor gatherings. Numerous Israelis and foreign nationals were abducted and taken to Gaza, some paraded openly on social media platforms.
Hamas justifies this assault as a retaliation to perceived Israeli transgressions at the sensitive Al-Aqsa Mosque site in occupied East Jerusalem and purportedly escalating settler aggressions.
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Amid the escalating conflict, the UN reveals that more than 260,000 individuals have been displaced in Gaza due to Israel’s relentless aerial, terrestrial, and naval bombardments. The UN’s humanitarian arm, OCHA, released an update this Tuesday cautioning that displacement figures are expected to surge. It added that the current hostilities have rendered more than 1,000 homes demolished and another 560 critically damaged, as reported by Palestinian authorities.
