Phosphorus is a naturally occurring element that cycles through living and non-living material.
A major reservoir of phosphorus is in rock, which can become exposed to weathering from movement of tectonic plates. When physical and chemical erosion occurs, pieces of phosphorus become parts of soils and water. Sedimentation follows as phosphorus mixes with organic matter. Then it can be taken up by living organisms.
Phosphorus is essential to all plants, and a major component of balanced soil for most annual plants. It is vital for growing roots and many parts like stems and fruits. When looking to garden, examining the necessary soil ratios of Phosphorus, Nitrogen, and Potassium is key to producing healthy plants.
The uptake of phosphorus into plants is how phosphorus enters the food chain. There, it is important to all animals, in which it is a major component of the skeletal system. It has been observed to affect growth and reproduction2.
There are no major gaseous forms of phosphorus, so the cycle continues with waste and detritus returning phosphorus to soil. Sometimes from sediment and soil the phosphorus will re-enter rock formations, but otherwise will be taken back up into organic matter.
White phosphorus
White phosphorus is one of three physical molecular forms in which phosphorus can exist. It does not occur on its own but is manufactured from rock, mainly to create phosphoric acid. It can still be found in some current productions of rat poison3.
White phosphorus is very unstable in the air and often stored under water. It is also very toxic. When it first started being used by the military, it was ignited to hide tanks behind a smokescreen or to force opposing sides to move4. The smokescreen of ignited white phosphorus is phosphorus pentoxide. It reacts with moisture to form phosphoric acid which corrodes and burns, and does so to lungs, eyes, and throats. Repeated exposure can cause bronchitis and drying or cracking skin5. Additionally, this substance becomes more corrosive as the surrounding temperature rises.
Not only is the use of white phosphorus in attacks incredibly harmful, but even in tests or training, it can cause lasting damage. Water runoff carries debris including white phosphorus to waterways, and it can stay in water for hours or days, or even thousands of years in deeper soil deposits. If the water has a low oxygen concentration, the white phosphorus can react to form phosphine. Phosphine is also very toxic and enters the air quickly, though once in air changes into less harmful chemicals within a day3.
War Crimes
In 1923, the British Mandate for Palestine imposed British rule over the nation of Palestine. In the Palestinian land, Britain decided to establish a territory for Jewish people displaced by war. Of course, this immigration of Jewish people greatly increased during World War II and events leading up to it, as Britain forced Arab inhabitants to allow this despite their continued protests of it.
In 1948, the British Mandate ended, leaving the Palestinian Arab population and Jewish population in conflict that quickly included violence. This came with the partition of Palestine into Palestine and Israel. The ‘collective Palestine’ became largely fractured, with many in refugee camps or under Egyptian control in the Gaza strip until 1967.
The Arab-Israeli war in 1967 resulted in Israel control over the Gaza strip and the movement of Arab populations and, ultimately, the large Israeli Jewish population ruling over a much smaller Palestinian population6.
The following decades have been continually contentious and violent between opposing forces, and most recently a severe onslaught of attacks have come from the Israeli government towards Palestinian-inhabited regions. The targets of these attacks have included a heavy percentage of civilian centers of life, often with the unsubstantiated excuse that a valid military target was in the building - buildings such as hospitals and residential buildings. In 2023, more than 18,000 Palestinian civilians have died from these attacks, including 56 journalists and media workers7.
These attacks have included the use of white phosphorus bombs.
The non-governmental organization Human Rights Watch reported that Israel used white phosphorus bombs in Gaza and Lebanon in 2023, as well as having used them in Gaza in 2008-2009. In both situations, the use of these bombs included attacking heavily civilian-populated areas8.
While they are not banned, they are heavily restricted under international law. The use of them in urban areas or heavily populated areas is absolutely considered illegal. These weapons are highly incendiary and spread over large distances when ignited in the air. Reports of specific injuries caused by these bombs in Gaza are difficult to find, but they can cause severe burns, even down to the bone, respiratory issues, and long-term mental illness, scarring, and disabilities9.
Human Rights Watch has a detailed process of verifying that the evidence of white phosphorus use is true, that Israel has ignited white phosphorus over civilian areas9. No national leaders have made significant attempts to address this or prevent the continued genocide against Palestinians. A journalist working for the Washington Post found debris of these bombs in southern Lebanon, where it had injured nine people; The debris indicates that the bombs were produced in the United States10. While we do not know if the United States sent them to Israel to be used as incendiaries as opposed to smokescreens, they are only some of the billions of dollars in munitions that the United States sends to Israel.
A spokesperson for the U.S. National Security Council claimed that further investigation is being done and that, when providing weapons to another military, the United States of course expects them to be used within the law11. So, the public now has to hold the government responsible for instilling ramifications for Israel having ‘misused’ supplied weapons. Hopefully, when the government acknowledges these unlawful uses of white phosphorus, if they do, they explain how they will be changing their actions to reflect this. Continuing to supply weapons to an unlawful military is showing support for and cosigning their unlawful actions.
Humans have turned phosphorus into a substance useful in warfare, and have since restricted its use in warfare. However, recent conflicts have exposed the willingness of a recognized nation to disregard established laws and commit genocide. National government are responsible for keeping each other in check and should not be allowing this to continue.
Unfortunately, much of this is a farce. The niceties and benefit of the doubt are unwarranted after what nations have allowed and, in the case of the United States, silently endorsed. Residential areas are being attacked, children are being shot. Israel is trying to terminate all Palestinians. What more can we say when this news is not enough to cause action?
