An Outdated Photo Shows an Afghan Girl, Not a Gazan, Burned by White Phosphorus

Misbar investigated the viral photo and found the claim to be misleading.

A thorough reverse image search found the photo making the rounds to be unrelated to the ongoing Israeli war on Gaza.

Outdated Photo of Afghan Girl Burned by White Phosphorus

Contrary to social media users’ viral claim, the photo does not depict the recent aftermath of Israel's use of white phosphorus against children in Gaza. Instead, the image features 8-year-old Razia, an Afghan girl who was burned by white phosphorus in Afghanistan in 2009. 

Captured by Associated Press photographer Rafiq Maqbool, the photo's caption clarifies that Razia was severely burned when a white phosphorus round hit her home in the Tagab valley during fighting between French troops and Taliban forces. The photo was taken at the U.S. military hospital at Bagram Air Base, north of Kabul, Afghanistan.

Another photo of Razia was uploaded to Alamy website on June 9, 2009. The photo shows the Afghani girl holding a doll at the U.S. military hospital at Bagram Air Base, north of Kabul, Afghanistan.

Moreover, the AP uploaded a video to YouTube showing Razia leaving the hospital for home after being treated and going through several surgeries at the time.

Razia Sustained White Phosphorus Burns

In 2009, an 8-year-old Afghan girl named Razia sustained burns on up to 45% of her body from a white phosphorus attack outside Kabul. Two white phosphorus shells struck their mud-brick home in Afghanistan’s northeastern Kapisa province. Fire and smoke engulfed the house, instantly killing two of Razia’s sisters as they slept side by side.

A medivac helicopter transported Razia to a U.S.-run hospital at Bagram Air Base. Razia survived, but she lives with the emotional trauma of losing her sisters and the physical pain from severe burns over nearly half her body.

According to the AP, U.S. and NATO troops used white phosphorus to illuminate targets in Afghanistan, but military officials could not confirm whether their own round was responsible for the attack.

What Is White Phosphorus?

White phosphorus is a waxy, chemical solid that typically appears yellowish or colorless, with an odor resembling garlic. It ignites instantly upon contact with oxygen and is often used by militaries to illuminate battlefields, generate smoke screens, and as an incendiary. Once ignited, white phosphorus is very difficult to extinguish and adheres to surfaces like skin and clothing.

White phosphorus is harmful to humans through all routes of exposure. The smoke from burning phosphorus can also harm the eyes and respiratory tract due to the presence of phosphoric acids and phosphine. It can cause deep, severe burns that can penetrate even through bone. 

The use of white phosphorus may violate Protocol III (on the use of incendiary weapons) of the Convention on Certain Conventional Weapons (CCCW) if it is intentionally used as an incendiary weapon directly against humans in a civilian setting.

Israel Attacks Gaza and Lebanon With White Phosphorus

On October 12, 2023, Human Rights Watch reported that Israel's use of white phosphorus in military operations in Gaza and Lebanon poses a significant risk to civilians, potentially causing serious and long-term injuries. 

Human Rights Watch verified videos taken in Lebanon and Gaza on October 10 and 11, 2023, respectively, showing multiple airbursts of artillery-fired white phosphorus over the Gaza City port and two rural locations along the Israel-Lebanon border.

According to Amnesty International, the Israeli army fired artillery shells containing white phosphorus, an incendiary weapon, during military operations along Lebanon’s southern border between October 10 and 16, 2023. Amnesty International declared that the indiscriminate attack on the town of Dhayra on October 16, which injured at least nine civilians and damaged civilian objects, warrants investigation as a war crime.

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