Hamas is planning to use chemical weapons, Israeli officials claimed. They shared this possibility after finding cyanide-based bomb instructions on the dead bodies of terrorists.
This latest detail is alarming since it hints that the Israel-Hamas conflict could turn into chemical warfare, leading to more civilian deaths.
Israel Claims Hamas Plans To Use Chemical Weapons
According to The New York Post's latest report, USBs containing cyanide-based chemical bomb instructions were found on the bodies of Hamas terrorists who were killed in the October 7 terrorist attack.
This was revealed by two Israeli officials and in a copy of a classified Israeli Foreign Ministry cable.
"This finding points to an intention by Hamas to use chemical weapons as part of its terror attack against civilians," said the cable Israel sent to embassies.
Because of this, the cable urged the embassies to inform diplomats that Hamas terrorists are being ordered to attack, just like how ISIS conducts its operations.
As of writing, the legitimacy of the USBs could not be identified. However, Israeli officials explained that if this information weren't authentic, they wouldn't share it with their allies.
Israeli President Isaac Herzog also said that the instructions to create cyanide-based chemical weapons exist, saying that the AL Qaeda material they obtained shows that Israel is dealing not only with Hamas but also with ISIS and AI Qaeda terrorists.
"This is how shocking the situation is where we're looking at the instructions that are given on how to operate and how to create a kind of non-professional chemical weapon with cyanide," said Herzog.
Meanwhile, the Israeli Foreign Ministry and the Hamas militant group's spokesperson declined to comment regarding the controversial chemical weapon instructions.
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What To Know About Chemical Weapons
The use of chemical weapons in wars has been banned since 1925, after the Geneva Protocol was signed. United Nations said that chemical-based bombs and other warfare weapons resulted in public outrage after causing millions of deaths since World War I.
In 2018, The International Committee of The Red Cross interviewed ICRC nuclear expert Johnny Nehme to understand the dangers of chemical weapons.
The chemical researcher said that, unlike other war weapons, chemical weapons could bring life-long effects, even after the conflict.
This means that affected cities and other places could become inhabitable and victims could still experience health complications that last until the day they die.
If you want to learn more about why numerous countries heavily criticize chemical weapons, you can click this link.
