A white phosphorus munition airbursts over buildings in the town of Khiam in southern Lebanon during an Israeli bombardment on October 31, 2024.
Recent use of white phosphorus munitions by Israeli forces in Lebanon underscores the need for new international law to regulate these devastating weapons.White phosphorus munitions can inflict excruciating burns and cause lifelong physical, psychological, and socioeconomic harm.Countries should condemn ongoing use of white phosphorus munitions, call for further international talks on the matter, and ensure that international law adequately addresses the weapons’ unacceptable human costs.
(New York, September 9, 2026) – Recent use of white phosphorus munitions by Israeli forces in Lebanon underscores the need for new international law to regulate these devastating weapons, Human Rights Watch and the International Human Rights Clinic at Harvard Law School said in a report released today. The groups urged countries to take up the issue at the United Nations General Assembly’s monthlong disarmament meeting in New York in October 2026.
The 45-page report, “Uncontrolled Burn: The Inhumane Effects of White Phosphorus Munitions and the Need for Stronger Law,” documents 23 verified incidents of Israeli use in southern Lebanon between March and May 2026. The report also details the horrific harm the munitions have caused in armed conflicts in recent years. White phosphorus munitions, which produce fire when their payload is exposed to oxygen, are not currently regulated by a specific treaty.
September 9, 2026 Uncontrolled Burn
The Inhumane Effects of White Phosphorus Munitions and the Need for Stronger Law
Download the full report in English
Annex
“White phosphorus muni
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