HRW Slams "Israel΄s" Use of White Phosphorus Shells

Source: AFP, 12-1-2009

Human Rights Watch had slammed "Israel's" use of white phosphorus which it said had been used in areas of Gaza City and the northern district of Jabaliya.
""Israel" appears to be using white phosphorus as an "obscurant" (a chemical used to hide military operations), a permissible use in principle under international humanitarian law," HRW said in a statement.

"However, white phosphorus has a significant, incidental, incendiary effect that can severely burn people... The potential for harm to civilians is magnified by Gaza's high population density, among the highest in the world," it said.
The group said its researchers in "Israel" had observed multiple air-bursts of artillery-fired white phosphorus which would spread the chemical over an area between 125 and 250 meters in diameter.

"Human Rights Watch believes that the use of white phosphorus in densely populated areas of Gaza violates the requirement under international humanitarian law to take all feasible precautions to avoid civilian injury and loss of life," it said.
During "Israel's" 2006 war against Lebanon's Hizbullah, the army was accused of using cluster bombs -- the use of which is banned in civilian areas -- but "Israel" said they were only being used within the confines of international law.

White phosphorus is a toxic chemical agent which can cause severe burns.
Dispersed in artillery shells, bombs, and rockets, it burns on contact with oxygen and creates a smokescreen to hide the movement of troops.
It can be air-burst or ground burst and is not considered to be a chemical weapon.
White phosphorus shells are considered to be incendiary weapons which are not prohibited under the laws of war.

Use of such shells against military targets is regulated under Protocol III of the Convention on Conventional Weapons. Under the international laws of war, their use is banned where other weapons less likely to cause unnecessary suffering are available, HRW said.