Israel has used white phosphorus in the war in the Gaza Strip.

Posted by The Pete Quiñones Show, Oct 1, 2026Checked Nov 2, 2026

Polygraph verdictTrue

Sources: 3 contradict4 support
Said: 1 time·
Confidence: 70%

The Pete Quiñones ShowOct 1, 2026

Human Rights Watch verified airburst white phosphorus munitions over Gaza City on October 11, 2023, and a 2026 Harvard International Human Rights Clinic report repeats that Israel airburst white phosphorus in Gaza after October 7, 2023.

This claim is about the present, so it is judged as of the day it was checked.

What was said

… is always going to be there, but the anger that will come from starvation, because turning off the water and turning off the electricity, that's pretty normal. Israel does that all the time. They don't need an invasion to do that. Uhm, but there you have a war, especially with white phosphorus, uhm, a war on on children. Uhm, and settlers, again, these aren't countries. In fact, I'm not entirely sure what the administrations in the West Bank or the Gaza Strip are. They're ruling entities of some kind or another. Israel, on the other hand, is a well-off country. …

The Pete Quiñones Show · Oct 1, 2026· from the transcriptPost →

What we found

Supports. HRW said it verified videos showing multiple airbursts of artillery-fired white phosphorus over the Gaza City port on October 11, 2023, and reported Israel's military said it was 'currently not aware' of such use in Gaza.[5][6]

Supports. A 2026 Harvard International Human Rights Clinic report states the Israeli military repeatedly used white phosphorus munitions in Gaza and airburst it there following the October 7, 2023 attacks.[3]

Supports. A Westpoint Lieber Institute symposium reports HRW's account of white phosphorus artillery fire into Gaza City on October 11, 2023, and notes media videos of airburst munitions over the Gaza port.[4]

Contradicts. Israel denies using white phosphorus in the Gaza conflict, and early fact-checks of specific Gaza photos and videos (Snopes, Full Fact, AFP) found them inconclusive or misattributed, but none rejects the broader claim of Israeli use.[1][2][4][7]

Context. The 2026 Harvard report notes HRW has not independently verified the 2023-2024 Gaza strikes, so the Gaza evidence rests largely on HRW's earlier verification of videos and on Israeli-era reporting.[3]

Sources

7 sources: 2 fact-checkers, 2 primary, 3 not rated

1Do Photos and Video Confirm Israel Used White Phosphorus Munitions Over Gaza Seaport?snopes.com · fact-checker · cited for: contradicts
2Video shows an attack in Ukraine, not Gaza - Full Factfullfact.org · fact-checker · cited for: contradicts
3[PDF] Uncontrolled Burn - International Human Rights Clinichumanrightsclinic.law.harvard.edu · primary source · cited for: supports, context
4Israel – Hamas 2023 Symposium – White Phosphorus and ...lieber.westpoint.edu · primary source · cited for: contradicts, supports
5Human Rights Watch says Israel used white phosphorus in Gaza, Lebanonstraitstimes.com · not rated · cited for: supports
6Israel is using white phosphorus in Gaza, human rights group says | CBC Newscbc.ca · not rated · cited for: supports
7Video shows Russian incendiary munition attack in ...factcheck.afp.com · not rated · cited for: contradicts

Where this claim was made

Said in 1 published post

The Pete Quiñones Show · Oct 1, 2026Post →

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