Israel rains fire on Gaza with phosphorus shells

Sheera Frenkel and Michael Evans
London Times
Monday, Jan 5, 2008

Israel is believed to be using controversial white phosphorus shells to screen its assault on the heavily populated Gaza Strip yesterday. The weapon, used by British and US forces in Iraq, can cause horrific burns but is not illegal if used as a smokescreen.

As the Israeli army stormed to the edges of Gaza City and the Palestinian death toll topped 500, the tell-tale shells could be seen spreading tentacles of thick white smoke to cover the troops’ advance. “These explosions are fantastic looking, and produce a great deal of smoke that blinds the enemy so that our forces can move in,” said one Israeli security expert. Burning blobs of phosphorus would cause severe injuries to anyone caught beneath them and force would-be snipers or operators of remote-controlled booby traps to take cover. Israel admitted using white phosphorus during its 2006 war with Lebanon.

The use of the weapon in the Gaza Strip, one of the world’s mostly densely population areas, is likely to ignite yet more controversy over Israel’s offensive, in which more than 2,300 Palestinians have been wounded.

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The Geneva Treaty of 1980 stipulates that white phosphorus should not be used as a weapon of war in civilian areas, but there is no blanket ban under international law on its use as a smokescreen or for illumination. However, Charles Heyman, a military expert and former major in the British Army, said: “If white phosphorus was deliberately fired at a crowd of people someone would end up in The Hague. White phosphorus is also a terror weapon. The descending blobs of phosphorus will burn when in contact with skin.”

The Israeli military last night denied using phosphorus, but refused to say what had been deployed. “Israel uses munitions that are allowed for under international law,” said Captain Ishai David, spokesman for the Israel Defence Forces. “We are pressing ahead with the second stage of operations, entering troops in the Gaza Strip to seize areas from which rockets are being launched into Israel.”

Blogger Comment:

The God Chosen people are not the evil Jews but the good Jews. Those evil Jews would mercilessly oppress and kill. They arrange every thing with the evil Jews in America. Do you remember when Gaza was terrorized and the evil Jewish media in America would not cover the war and the Obama would keep silent and let them finish the atrocities. The evil Jews as well won the silence of the corrupt Arab tyrants who promised to by Israel and the Jews to protect their chairs if they would keep coward and silent. God will stand with the just in the end of time and I am not scared of the evil Jews, the Arab tyrants or any evil force in the world. If I would die I will die as a man and I will see my enemies in hell in the day of judgement.