Israel Probes Phosphorus Use in Gaza

Admits deadly shells may have hit civilian areas, violating law

By Katherine Thompson, Newser Staff

Posted Jan 21, 2009 10:17 AM CST

(Newser) – Under pressure from the international community, Israel has admitted its troops might have inappropriately used white phosphorus in attacks on Gaza, and has launched an investigation. International law only permits the caustic chemical for creating smokescreens in troop areas, which wouldn’t explain hits on United Nations facilities in Gaza, the Guardian reports.

White phosphorus ignites on contact with air or water and sticks to human skin, causing severe and often deadly burns. Human-rights groups demanded an investigation over reports of dozens of cases of phosphorus burns after suspected chemical-filled shells hit civilian areas. The Israeli army suggested that faulty GPS might be to blame for the erroneous targeting.

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Children play with a flaming lump, allegedly containing white phosphorus, on a street in the town of Beit Lahiya, in the northern Gaza strip, Monday. (AP Photo)

An Israeli soldier holds his machine gun as he walks near Israel's border with the Gaza Strip today. (AP Photo)

A woman walks through smoke from a fire she made to keep warm, as she stays on the rubble of her family house, destroyed during Israel's military operation in east Gaza City, Tuesday Jan. 20, 2009. (AP Photo/Lefteris Pitarakis)

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They obviously could not have gone on denying the use of phosphorus. There are still phosphorus wedges burning all over Gaza including at the UN compound and at the school. - Donatella Rovera, Amnesty researcher for Israel and the Occupied Territories

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Israel Probes Phosphorus Use in Gaza