Children play with a flaming lump, allegedly containing white phosphorus, in the northern Gaza Strip .
Israeli artillery shells explode above Gaza city sprewling phospohours over dense population.
Usually used for smoke screen to cover soldier moving or tanks movement and also reduce visibility for enemy or provide cover. However , when used over ciliavian it will cause tremendous burns.
The pale blue 155mm rounds are clearly marked with the designation M825A1, an American-made white phosphorus munition
Israel was accused of using phosphorous shells in Gaza.
U.S. Mideast envoy George Mitchell (L) and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu prior to their meeting in Jerusalem, 15 Sep 2009.Mr Mitchell held two hours of talks with Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu in Jerusalem on Tuesday. Benjamin refuse to freeze settlement for 1 year but for only 6 months , this is US demands.While Palestine refuse to have any peace talks until all constructions stop in west bank.Mitchell has been trying to put together a package under which Israel would freeze its settlement construction in the West Bank and Arab states would make gestures toward recognising Israel.
Palestinians run for cover during the Israeli phosphorus strike over the UN Relief and Works Agency HQ in Gaza in January
UN accuses Israel of committing war crimes in Gaza
A fact-finding team from the United Nations has accused Israel of committing war crimes in Gaza. The investigation set up by the Human Rights Council concluded that Israeli forces had been systematically reckless in their use of white phosphorus during the Gaza war earlier this year.
The investigators said in their report: “The mission believes that serious consideration should be given to banning the use of white phosphorus in built-up areas.
They singled out three Israeli attacks using white phosphorus — which is deployed as a smokescreen — saying that they were disproportionate or excessive under international law.
They said that Israel failed to take “all feasible precautions” in using white phosphorus shells in the attack on the UN Relief and Works Agency compound in Gaza City on January 15 despite the presence of up to 700 civilians. It also criticised the use of white phosphorus in attacks on Al Quds and Al Wafa hospitals.
The mission urged the UN Security Council to give both sides six months to investigate and prosecute offenders before turning the matter over the prosecutor of the International Criminal Court, a recommendation unlikely to be followed by the council.
The mission was set up in April by the UN Human Rights Council, which has a record of criticising Israel. It was led by Richard Goldstone, a South African judge who headed a commission on political violence in his homeland. Israel refused to co-operate with the investigation and yesterday dismissed its findings as prejudged.
The report accused Israel of breaking international law by deliberately attacking civilians, using Palestinians as “human shields” and torturing detainees. It added that the continuing Israeli blockade of Gaza could constitute persecution — a crime against humanity.
They said that Israel failed to take “all feasible precautions” in using white phosphorus shells in the attack on the UN Relief and Works Agency compound in Gaza City on January 15 despite the presence of up to 700 civilians. It also criticised the use of white phosphorus in attacks on Al Quds and Al Wafa hospitals.
Israel response to this accusation
IDF spokesman denied the use of phosphorus and said that Israel was using only the weapons that were allowed under international law.
Rows of the pale blue M825A1 WP shells were photographed on January 4 on the Israeli side of the Israel-Gaza border. Another picture showed the same munitions stacked up behind an Israeli self-propelled howitzer.
Confronted with the latest evidence, an IDF spokeswoman insisted that the M825A1 shell was not a WP type. “This is what we call a quiet shell - it is empty, it has no explosives and no white phosphorus. There is nothing inside it,” she said.
“We shoot it to mark the target before we launch a real shell. We launch two or three of the quiet shells which are empty so that the real shells will be accurate. It's not for killing people,” she said.
Major-General Amir Eshel, the army's head of strategic planning, said that firing shells to provide a smoke screen was legal. “It is the most nonlethal kind of weapon we used. I don't see any issue with that,” he said.
Israel and Jewish groups slammed the council for pre-emptive conclusions and for not accounting for the intensification of rocket fire under the rule of Hamas.
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