Israel using White Phosphorus in Gaza

January 06, 2009
ISRAEL has been accused of firing fearsome - and possibly illegal - white phosphorus shells in Gaza as its forces cut the 40km-long coastal territory in two.

White phosphorus, believed to have been used to cause a dense smokescreen as troops and tanks advanced, can cause horrific burns to anyone coming into contact with it. Its use as a military weapon is forbidden in civilian areas under the Geneva Treaty of 1980.

Experts quoted in the British media said that if white phosphorus had been used in an area as heavily populated as Gaza, Israel might have committed a war crime.