Rights group: Israeli strike on Gaza warehouse last year amounts to chemical attack

An Israeli strike on an agrochemical warehouse in the Gaza Strip during last May’s war was tantamount to “indirect deploying of chemical weapons,” Palestinian human rights group Al-Haq alleges in a new report.

The investigation’s details were reported upon by The Guardian.

It says the artillery attack on Khudair Pharmaceutical and Agricultural Tools in the Strip’s north set fire to hundreds of tons of pesticides, plastics and other toxic substances, creating a huge plume that has caused persistent health issues in those who live nearby.

Residents have reported skin problems and two miscarriages that may have been caused by the fumes, though it is not clear there is direct evidence for the latter.