Poison Gas Attacks in Gaza Strip [Archive] - The Explosives and Weapons Forum

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MrSamosa

January 21st, 2003, 10:08 PM

I remember reading about this story a while back, but couldn't find many English-language news articles covering this. Basically, the Palestinians are alleging Nerve Gas attacks while the Israelis have claimed it was CS.

This was an interesting article.. <a href="http://www.mediamonitors.net/jamesbrooks2.html" target="_blank">http://www.mediamonitors.net/jamesbrooks2.html</a> .

It deals with a series of alleged Israeli Poison Gas attacks in Khan Younis Refugee Camp, starting on February 11, 2001. For some background information, that day was 6 days after Ariel Sharon's landslide victory, and also a particularly violent day in the Gaza Strip. In response to gunfights and rioting, the Israeli trooops fired "tear gas" canisters, employing some, "rainbow gas." The colors of the smoke changed colors from green to pink to black and, in some cases, was also reported to be white.

At first, the Palestinian protestors cried, "This gas does nothing! Throw some more!" because they did not experience the immediate irritation normally associated with tear gas. However, about fifteen minutes later, they began suffering from stomach pains, convulsions, seizures, vomiting, fainting, and even coma - all symptoms associated with Nerve Agent Poisoning. However, there were no reported deaths caused by this gas. Nevertheless, it seems to be very unpleasant. Normally, the effects of Nerve Agents cease after 60 hours or so. But the symptoms of this chemical disappear and keep reappearing for extended periods of time. There was one boy who was still suffering convulsions 2 weeks after exposure.

Such attacks were repeated several times in Khan Younis.

I'm not so much concerned about the political situation in the Middle East, and I would appreciate it if this thread did not degenerate into whose God is better than whose, which race is better than which other, etc. etc. Let's keep the discussion confined to the new gas and speculation of what it may be.

With the United States now employing Israeli "anti-terror" tactics, such as indefinate detentions and such, do you think it is likely that this new gas could be used in the USA?

[ January 21, 2003, 09:11 PM: Message edited by: MrSamosa ]

chemwarrior

January 21st, 2003, 10:11 PM

No, because I dont think the people would stand for that. It seems too much like Hitler too their simple minds.

nbk2000

January 21st, 2003, 11:54 PM

All those symptoms sound like a BZ related compound. Any mention of hallucinations, dry mouth, memory loss?

MrSamosa

January 22nd, 2003, 05:39 AM

No reports of dry mouth or hallucinating, just victims reporting, "I had a bad headache, and then i don't remember anything. Now I'm waking up in the hospital." In that time period, family and medical workers reported extreme hyper activity, with the victims thrashing around violently, requiring several adults to hold down.

One interesting symptom, however, was skin blotching. One girl stated that where, "It used to hurt is now stained." That is the only symptom i can think of not related to anti-cholinesterase agents. I did not see anything of Myosis, or pinpoint pupils, which is typically an indicator of anti-cholinesterase poisoning.

I like the Israeli's idea of weaponization though - their gas was mint smelling. Palestinians said that, "The gas smelled good. It smelled like mint and tasted sweet, you wanted to breathe more." Now, imagine if someone were to disperse a nerve agent in a mall, but mixed in some nice food smells. People like food, and would therefore try to breathe more of the scent. Then, if they rae hungry, they will walk toward the source; or, the location of the gas disperser, where concentrations of the given agent are even higher. <img border="0" title="" alt="[Wink]" src="wink.gif" />

EDIT- this PDF file deals mostly with the personal experiences with those poisoned by the gas. It doesn't jump to conclusions as much as the earlier link did: <a href="http://www.littleredbutton.com/gas_interviews/interviews.pdf" target="_blank">http://www.littleredbutton.com/gas_interviews/interviews.pdf</a>

[ January 22, 2003, 04:41 AM: Message edited by: MrSamosa ]

megalomania

January 23rd, 2003, 02:14 AM

Now that is a very intriguing idea MrSamosa. I wonder how many malls have a perfume store, or a food court, or any craft joint peddling what I like to call “stinky stuffs” because I usually can’t stand them. A pleasant smelling nerve agent or other CW could be disguised as a perfume and spread in front of the store. The odor of fried food added to a CW agent that is then spread at the local fair or football game would go unnoticed.

I wonder if there are common odors that people have an increased probability of inhaling? If I had to guess now I would say mint is one if the Israelis did indeed weaponize such a thing. The assuredly did research into the matter. This would certainly add new meaning of stopping to smell the roses if a cloud of rose smelling vapor descended on a crowd of unsuspecting targets.

nbk2000

January 23rd, 2003, 02:31 AM

I too flee from places that sell "stinky stuff", which is usually potpourri. BLECH!

Whatever the smell, it would be best to have one appropriate to the situation.

The smell of popcorn in a crowded theater would be unnoticed. The same smell in a...actually, I was about to say it would be inappropriate for a "?"...and realized I couldn't think of anywhere where the smell of popcorn wouldn't be welcomed or possible.

I've smelled it in high security prisons, army barracks, hospitals, malls, and probably anywhere else worth gassing. Now if you could just come up with a canned popcorn smell (I'm sure someone out there has) that wouldn't interact with, nor be overpowered by, the CW agent, then you'd have yourself a right dangerous weapon. One where people, rather than fleeing, actually stay and inhale MORE...voluntarialy! :D

Fruity smells like apples, oranges, or bananas are usually very pleasant to smell. French fries are good too. Doughnuts would be perfect for piggies. <img border="0" title="" alt="[Wink]" src="wink.gif" />

<blockquote>quote:<hr />Why go to the trouble of producing smoke in a succession of colors? Why add (as we assume) an exceptionally attractive fragrance and taste to the poison gas? Was it all intended to give the canisters a less threatening aspect? Could there have been an effort to produce a "crowd-pleasing effect"--and so increase the toxic exposure?<hr /></blockquote>Indeed, it seems the kikes have learned their lesson well from the Nazis. People aren't afraid of pleasant smelling things that are pleasing to the eyes.

[ January 23, 2003, 03:08 AM: Message edited by: nbk2000 ]

MrSamosa

January 23rd, 2003, 06:03 AM

hmm... They were friendly Gas Shells <img border="0" title="" alt="[Wink]" src="wink.gif" /> .

Anyhow, have you ever noticed the fragrance machines in different stores? In small shops, convenience stores, and gas stations they can be found directly above the doorway. Their purpose is to calm the shopper, causing him to make bad decisions.

They are very easy to fill- just open the cover, pour in the smelly crap, and close it again. The rest it does on its own.

I can easily imagine some poisonous, volatile liquid being mixed in with the fragrance. It would not be very hard, since nobody thinks to protect their fragrance machines. Still, doing it without being conspicuous is the tricky part...

A good example that I can think of where the smell increased mortality was during WW1 with Phosgene. Phosgene has a mild, even pleasant smell in low concentrations and does not cause immediate pain either. However, it proved to be the greatest killer during WW1.

[ January 23, 2003, 05:15 AM: Message edited by: MrSamosa ]

megalomania

January 24th, 2003, 12:25 AM

I have inspected one of those machines in considerable detail. I noticed the curious instrument in the bathroom at work and decided to see what the hell it was. It uses a battery operated fan, like a computer case fan, and a small canister of gelled fragrance. The canisters are quite easy to replace, just remove the old one and drop in a new one. The whole operation could be done quite rapidly, but you would need to know what size of canister to use, or take the original to use for you schemes later.

It would seem easier just to deploy such a device of your own making. You can buy small cans of gelled fragrance for your car; I use these. A simple battery connection to a computer fan could suck the fumes from the can and disperse it. Put some double sided tape on the device, attach it to the inside of a trash can, and be off.

This may indeed by a suitable poor mans way of dispersing a nerve gas. I have envisioned the use of remotely activated pressurized containers of toxic gas hidden inside public trash cans or under manhole covers, but this is a Hollywood version for people with money and resources. A gelled nerve gas would have a higher persistency over time, it would take longer to make its presence known, and it is less likely to kill you right off the bat when you place your device. A little battery operated fan kicking up toxic gas all day in a crowded shopping mall may not be dramatic, but it would eventually do some damage. Thousands of people may be exposed to the gas who would return to work or home a few hours later, and then they begin to exhibit symptoms. Emergency personnel would not be able to identify the source of the gas right away, maybe not for a few days, while people would be dropping all over the city. Their first assumption would be a massive citywide gas attack, or at least the media would think this.

There is another option similar to this. In the book Rainbow 6 by Tom Clancy a terrorist organization was going to add a bio weapon to the water tanks of coolant water used in large fan blown misters. These things work like humidifiers blowing a cooling water mist. There are now small battery operated versions of these out there at novelty shops. I have seen the infomercials, usually in the summer. It would not seem like much of a stretch to get one of these, crack it open to learn the technology, and build a few dozen of your own. All you really need is a small battery powered pump to force a liquid through an atomizer tip. I also think it should not be that hard to attach a simple series of capacitors that must charge up before the device will work, thus giving the person a minute or two before the device activates after it is turned on.

The easiest to obtain fragrances would be simple esters that smell like fruits. These should not react with nerve gasses being esters themselves. Any cheap perfume should suffice, but if increased receptiveness to the stink is your goal a better brand may be wise. The US government currently has a research program to develop a super stinky agent for a less-than-lethal weapon. It would not surprise me if they also had a concurrent program to make a super pleasant agent for some nefarious purpose. The same musings I spend 5 minutes writing they spend 5 years and 5 billion dollars perfecting.

nbk2000

January 24th, 2003, 01:53 AM

<blockquote>quote:<hr />The same musings I spend 5 minutes writing they spend 5 years and 5 billion dollars perfecting. <hr /></blockquote>Don't hate the playa', hate the Game. :D

If you used a thickened OPA with a powerful miotic effect, like tabun, than you could cause nightblindness as doses below that needed to cause any other noticable effect (drooling, twitching, etc) that would alert the the use of a CW.

This night blindness would persist for several days. Replacement of the deodorizer in the restroom of a crowded sports facility prior to a night game would likely results in quite a few fatalities as people drove home on crowded streets and freeways, all while being effectively blind in the darkness. :)

With the persistance of the effect, you'd likely see a rise in accidents for the next week, none of which would immediately be attributable to any kind of CW attack.

If the agent was dispersed for an extended time at low sub-lethal doses, you'd be able to cause a delayed reaction of several hours or days before the classic OPA exposure symptoms manifested themselves seriously enough to warrant hospitalization.

The people who worked at the target would be the first to be hospitalized, given their prolonged exposure, so the clustering of these victims would give away the location of the attack, but not necessarily the time.

Mustard would have an excellent terror effect given how it can cause blepharospasm (look it up :p ) and conjunctivitis so severe that the victims are effectively blinded for days or weeks at a time.

And it can do this at exposure levels so low that no other symptoms of H exposure, besides horseness of the throat and chronic cough, will manifest.

Plus, the image of lines of blinded soldiers marching in single file, hands on the shoulders of the man in front of them, is one that readily comes to mind when Mustard Gas is mentioned. The psychology of a weapon is just as important as the actual effect of it. Fear is the power, terror is the key!

H is much easier to make and handle than an OPA, though it is still very dangerous to the maker.

[ January 24, 2003, 12:56 AM: Message edited by: nbk2000 ]

nbk2000

April 10th, 2003, 04:16 AM

I found an easy OTC source for mint oil. It's used as an "enviromentally friendly" bug killing spray. It comes in either hand pumped spray, or aerosol, with 10% mint oil with the remainder being water. Cost is about $5 for 6 oz.

Nothing beats smelling minty fresh on the morgue slab, eh? <img border="0" title="" alt="[Wink]" src="wink.gif" />