ISRAEL’S USE of white phosphorus shells led to the deaths of at least 12 Palestinian civilians and destroyed millions of euro of property during the three-week war in the Gaza Strip, Human Rights Watch says in a new report.
Israeli military officials called the claim “baseless” and said the shells were used in accordance with accepted rules.
Human Rights Watch says its review of the Gaza fighting found instances in which white phosphorus rounds were used in urban areas under circumstances that had no clear military rationale. The group calls it a violation of international laws of warfare.
White phosphorus shells are used as an “obscurant” to hide troop movements or block an enemy’s vision by distributing more than 100 burning, phosphorus-soaked pieces of felt across an area of perhaps 150 yards. While widely employed by modern armies, their use has been criticised because the pieces of felt fall randomly and can set fires or cause deep and sometimes fatal burns.
“The Israel Defence Forces (IDF) repeatedly exploded white phosphorus munitions in the air over populated areas, killing and injuring civilians, and damaging civilian structures,” Human Rights Watch says.
An IDF spokesman said the use of white phosphorus during the Gaza conflict is being investigated.
“These shells were used for specific operational needs only and in accord with international humanitarian law. The claim that smoke shells were used indiscriminately, or to threaten the civilian population, is baseless,” he said.
Human Rights Watch spokesman Bill Van Esveld said one missing element in the report is the perspective of the Israeli commanders who made the decision to fire the white phosphorus shells – a perspective that the military declined to provide.
The report notes some cases in which Palestinian fighters were present in the areas where phosphorus shells were used – though it still criticises the use of the shells as unnecessary. – ( LA Times-Washington Postservice)