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Updated: Jun 15, 2026

Assaying for Inorganic Polyphosphate in Bacteria
Published on: January 21, 2019
The detection of phosphorus in the tissue of bomb victims in Gaza
Jørgen L Thomsen1, Martin Worm-Leonhard
1Institute of Forensic Medicine, University of Southern Denmark, Odense, Denmark. JThomsen@health.sdu.dk
Abstract:
One of the authors went on a fact finding mission to Gaza immediately after the termination of the Israeli invasion. One of the allegations towards the invading Israeli army was the use of phosphorus bombs. The author was able to take samples of tissue from burn victims. Attempts were made to demonstrate the presence of phosphorus in the burn wounds. Using histology and Raman spectroscopy it was found with a high degree of probability that phosphorus was present, although it was not proven with absolute certainty.
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