Israel used an “indirect chemical weapon” against Gaza, denounces Palestinian NGO

Israel used an “indirect chemical weapon” when attacking a warehouse of agrochemical products in Loop last year, revealed a study by the Palestinian human rights organization Al-Haq, denouncing what it considers a “war crime” that caused health and environmental problems in the area.

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“The attack on the Khudair warehouse, and other similar industrial targets, indicates a direct attempt to use the chemical content of civilian objects against the Palestinian population of the Gaza Strip in the form of an indirect chemical weapon,” says the newly created report. Al-Haq forensic architecture research unit.

The study, released this week and carried out in collaboration with Forensic Architecture, a research agency based at Goldsmiths, University of London, analyzed the air attack carried out on May 15, 2021 by Israeli forces against the Khudair agrochemical warehouse, in the north of Gaza, during the most recent war between Israel and the Strip.

The Khudair warehouse housed more than 50% of the Gaza Strip’s agricultural supplies, making it particularly important for agriculture in the area. Inside, it contained agricultural equipment made of plastic or nylon, as well as pesticides and fertilizers.

According to the report, the warehouse housed 18,000 liters of Kontos, a highly toxic and flammable insecticide that can release hydrogen cyanide, a potentially deadly gas, in the event of a fire. The warehouse also contained other substances that can produce a toxic reaction when exposed to fire or extreme heat.

Al-Haq investigators concluded that Israel “attacked not with explosive shells,” but with M150 Smoke HC 155mm ammunition, a new type of shell developed by Israeli arms manufacturer Elbit Systems that emits high-density smoke.

The impact of these projectiles produced a fire that spread a chemical cloud over an area of ​​about 5.7 kilometers, causing among the inhabitants of the area “a series of irritations and skin diseases (…) as well as two spontaneous abortions”, the study noted.

The attack also caused significant environmental damage, as chemical residues from the fire seeped into the ground, which could have contaminated groundwater, it added.

Ammunition expert Chris Cobb-Smith explained in the report that there could be “no military justification” for firing “inherently inaccurate” and highly flammable munitions in that densely populated area.

“Acting knowingly, the Israeli forces created a chemical weapon by destroying agrochemicals,” said Al-Haq, arguing that this attack “amounts to the indirect use of a chemical weapon and meets the requirements of a crime of war under international criminal law.

Israel and Gaza staged a harsh eleven-day war escalation that began on May 10, 2021, after street protests and clashes between Israelis and Palestinians in the Jerusalem Mosque Esplanade, which houses the Al Aqsa Mosque and represents the third holiest place in Islam and the first for Judaism.

This was the most intense war escalation since 2014, with numerous rocket fires into Israel by Palestinian militias and heavy Israeli shelling of Gaza.

Source: Elcomercio

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