by Richard Norton-Taylor

Fresh evidence of the firing of white phosphorus weapons by Israeli forces in Gaza has emerged from witnesses heard by the Guardian and first hand accounts by human rights groups of their use against civilians. (Link to video)

Graphic descriptions of attacks by Israeli forces near the Gaza town of Khan Younis are contained in footage shot by Fida Qishta for the International Solidarity Movement and obtained by the Guardian.

A woman described how on Tuesday Israeli forces "started to fire phosphorus bombs against the people, of course, they are civilians ..."

A man added: "A fire broke out and we have to leave out. Fires broke out on the top of the houses. We all jumped out with our women and daughters put off the fire. They were doing that, to help the special forces to occupy the houses. after we put off the fires, they started to shoot towards us. Then they started to raze the houses".

He said the fires were caused by phosphorus bombs and missiles. Israeli artillery also fired white phosphorus shells at Gaza City, Marc Garlasco, senior military analyst at Human Rights Watch, said yesterday.

Three white phosphorus shells were fired at the UN Relief and Works Agency in Gaza City on Thursday, according to people there.

Phosphorus shells burst in the air billowing white smoke before dropping the phosphate shell. Each shell contain more than 100 wavers which, when ignited, pump out smoke for about 10 minutes.

Contact with the shell remnants cause severe burns, sometimes burning the skin to the bone, consistent with descriptions by Ahmed Almi, the Egyptian doctor at the Al-Nasser Hospital in Khan Younis after attacks last Tuesday. Almi said after an hour the entire body of one victim was burned.

Chemicals in smoke produced by white phosphorus shells and burning chemical particles can cause severe respiratory problems.

According to the report from the International Solidarity Movement, many patients at the Khan Younis hospital were suffering from serious breathing difficulties after inhaling smoke.

The use of white phosphorous as a weapon - as opposed to its use as an obscurant and infrared blocking smoke screen - is banned by the Third Convention on Conventional Weapons which covers the use of incendiary devices. Though Israel is not a signatory to the convention, its military manuals reflect the restrictions on its use in that convention.

Instead of producing high velocity burning fragments like conventional white phosphorus weapons used to in the past, M825A1 rounds of the kind identified as being fired by Israeli forces produce what he called a "series of large slower burning wedges which fall from the sky", said Neil Gibson, technical adviser to Jane's Missiles and Rockets.

Israel's use of heavy artillery in residential areas of Gaza City violates the prohibition under the laws of war against indiscriminate attacks and should be stopped immediately, Human Rights Watch said yesterday.

"Firing 155mm shells into the center of Gaza City, whatever the target, will likely cause horrific civilian casualties," Garlasco said.



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http://www.commondreams.org/headline/2009/01/17

"Media 'War Crimes'

The latest media developments as Israel's campaign against Hamas continues.

PHOSPHORUS CHARGES REBUKED

Accusations that Israel employs sinister and "illegal" weapons are not new. Now, the politicized non-governmental organization Human Rights Watch has condemned Israel for allegedly using white phosphorus weapons unlawfully in the conflict with Hamas. NGOs such as HRW enjoy the "halo effect", whereby, because of their humanitarian focus, they are insulated from scrutiny and are regarded as above reproach by the media. In this case, media including The Guardian, Times of London, Christian Science Monitor and CNN have repeated HRW's claims.

However, this charge has been disputed by the International Red Cross, which stated that it had no evidence to suggest that white phosphorus is being used improperly or illegally by Israel. As the AP reports:

"In some of the strikes in Gaza it's pretty clear that phosphorus was used," [Peter] Herby told The Associated Press. "But it's not very unusual to use phosphorus to create smoke or illuminate a target. We have no evidence to suggest it's being used in any other way." ...

Herby said that using phosphorus to illuminate a target or create smoke is legitimate under international law, and that there was no evidence the Jewish state was intentionally using phosphorus in a questionable way, such as burning down buildings or consciously putting civilians at risk.

White phosphorus has, however, been used as a weapon against civilians during this conflict... by Hamas. On Tuesday a mortar shell fired from Gaza into Israel contained white phosphorus. As the regional council's security chief said: "the potential danger of using such a rocket is enormous. It is far more dangerous than other Qassam rockets and mortal shells. This is an escalation in the type of explosives the Palestinians use on civilians."

We challenge Human Rights Watch to condemn this attack in the same way it has (falsely) condemned Israel. Send your comments to HRW - hrwnyc@hrw.org."

http://www.honestreporting.com/articles/45884734/critiques/new/Media_War_Crimes.asp

Hamas has been sending missles into Israel way before Israel started their offensive. Hamas was warned. Civillians could actually save themselves by giving up locations of Hamas, they choose not too. Sorry about their luck. I definetly don't agree with Israeli phosphorus shells, but when diplomacy fails, whaddaya do.

The 2008–2009 Israel–Gaza conflict is part of the ongoing Israeli-Palestinian conflict and began in Gaza in December 2008. On 27 December (11:30 am local time; 9:30 am UTC) the Israel Defense Forces launched a series of airstrikes codenamed Operation Cast Lead (Hebrew: מבצע עופרת יצוקה‎, Mivtza Oferet Yetzuka). This is the deadliest conflict since Hamas won the Palestinian legislative election in 2006.

A six-month truce between Hamas and Israel ended on 19 December 2008. Hamas blamed Israel for not lifting the Gaza Strip blockade, and Israel blamed Hamas for increased rocket fire directed at southern Israeli towns and communities. Israel's stated objectives in this conflict are to end Palestinian rocket fire and prevent the rearming of Hamas. Hamas demands the cessation of Israeli attacks and an end to the Israeli blockade.

http://www.sfetcu.com/content/Israel%E2%80%93Gaza-conflict-started-December-2008

So they are using White Phosphorus.
I bet you would be complaining twice as hard if they were using Napalm!

What if Israel did to the Palestinians the same thing we did to Tokyo during WWII or Hamburg Germany? Let me illustrate,
Both cities were firebombed until they were completely wiped off of the map.
Israel is not committing genocide like you make it sound. If they did Gaza would be nothing but smoking rubble and dead bodies.

Until Palestine gets rid of Hammas and sues Israel for peace resign yourself to the fact people are going to die in horrible ways. At least Israel has not dropped an FAE on Gaza yet. Think WP is so bad? How about a bomb that has the nickname "the poor man's nuke." one FAE could take a sizable chunk of a city out unlike the spot fires a few artillery shells cause.

Palestine brought this down on themselves! Sorry but I have no sympathy for the situation.

I think a more accurate representation would be the Nazis forceing the Jews into a ghetto and the jews fighting back. My how times have changed

Again, Hammas was trying to import offensive weapons, not defensive ones. Israel did what I would have done in those circumstances. I would feel different if there was no weapons smuggling going on.

Al-Quaida complains that the US is hampering their free trade!
So, in retaliation, they bomb some office buildings and hotels...

That has got to be the most IGNORANT comparison I have heard yet! Palestine had more coastline than Israel. They were handed chances to join the economic family but instead chose to be isolationists. They dug the hole they jumped into.
Since you want to play the whole history repeats itself game once upon a time Islam was the oppressed. Now they are the oppressors. Christians killed them for being heathans. Now they kill Christians for not following their religions beliefs. The Catholic Church had three Crusades, Islam has their Jihad these days.
Palestine is being used as a political tool, nothing more.

for someone who served in the military...you should know...that someone's going to win...and...someone's going to lose...in this case...Hamas...picked a fight they cannot EVER win...the whole idea in battle...conflict...or war...is to crush the mudder fuggers...as fast...as quick...and with such deadly force...so they never...ever rise again...war has been and always will be about killing people and breaking things...