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Gaza Victims' Burns Increase Concern Over Phosphorus Photographic Evidence Proves the Jews Have Been Using Phosphorus in Gaza From sources including Amnesty International and The Times January 8, 2009 Original Article

Photographic evidence has emerged that proves that Israel has been using controversial white phosphorus shells during its offensive in Gaza, despite official denials by the Israel Defence Forces.

White phosphorus shells fired on Gaza residential areas by Jewish soldiers. There is also evidence that the rounds have injured Palestinian civilians, causing severe burns. The use of white phosphorus against civilians is prohibited under international law. We present photographic evidence to counter outrageous denials of one of Israel’s more reprehensible actions: the use of White Phosphorus shells as a weapon against the civilian population of Gaza. The Jewish military, the Israeli government, and the (largely Jewish-owned and controlled) Western media have all conspired to deceive the world and supress this information. Jewish forces repeatedly fired artillery and phosphor shells into densely populated residential areas, knowing that such imprecise weapons would kill and injure civilians.

More white phosphorus shells fired on Gaza residential areas by Jewish soldiers. According to Amnesty International, "The scale and intensity of the attacks were unprecedented, even in the context of the increasingly lethal Israeli military campaigns in Gaza in previous years." During Operation "Cast Lead" Israeli forces made extensive use of white phosphorus, often launched from 155mm artillery shells, in residential areas, causing death and injuries to civilians. Homes, schools, medical facilities and UN buildings – all civilian objects – took direct hits. White phosphorus is extremely dangerous for humans as it causes deep burns through muscle and down to the bone, continuing to burn until deprived of oxygen. It can contaminate other parts of the body, or even people treating the injuries, poisoning and irreparably damaging internal organs.

Burn victims suffering a relatively small percentage of burns – 10 to 20 per cent – who would normally survive, often die if the burns are from white phosphorus. "Everything caught fire. My husband and four of my children burned alive in front of my eyes; my baby girl, Shahed, my only girl, melted in my arms.

The beginning of bombardment with white phosphor shells by Jewish soldiers - on the UN school in Gaza. How can a mother have to see her children burn alive? I couldn’t save them, I couldn’t help them. I was on fire. Now I am still burning all over, I am in pain day and night; I am suffering terribly." White phosphorus continued to be used until the last day of Operation "Cast Lead", on 17 January 2009. On that day a white phosphorus artillery shell exploded at about 6am in an UNRWA primary school in Beit Lahia, where more than 1,500 people were sheltering. When AI delegates visited the school two days after the attack they found lumps of white phosphorus, which were still smouldering in the school yard, and fragments of 155mm white phosphorus artillery carrier shells.

The classroom where the children were killed was burned down. Children who were sheltering at the school told AI delegates that they had been sleeping and when they woke up "fireballs were raining down on the school and everybody was scared and screaming".

Palestinian children burned to death by white phosphorus shells fired on Gaza residential areas by Jewish soldiers. Other fragments of white phosphorus artillery carrier shells were found in nearby areas. It is not clear how many white phosphorus artillery shells were fired over the school and surrounding areas. Photographs and mobile telephone footage show the sky dense with fireballs raining down on the school.44 In the morning of 15 January 2009 several white phosphorus and high-explosive artillery shells struck the UNRWA headquarters in the centre of Gaza City. The phosphor shells caused many fires which destroyed dozens of tons of desperately needed humanitarian aid and medicines, as well as the workshops and warehouses.

When it finally became impossible to continue with the disgusting denials of the use of white phosphor as a weapon, a Jewish spokesperson told the media: "We're using what other armies use and we're not using any weapons that are banned under international law." - Amnesty International.

A beautiful Palestinian child burned to a crisp by white phosphorus shells fired on Gaza residential areas by Jewish soldiers. The Times has identified stockpiles of white phosphorus (WP) shells from high-resolution images taken of Israel Defence Forces (IDF) artillery units on the Israeli-Gaza border this week. The pale blue 155mm rounds are clearly marked with the designation M825A1, an American-made WP munition. The shell is an improved version with a more limited dispersion of the phosphorus, which ignites on contact with oxygen, and is being used by the Israeli gunners to create a smoke screen on the ground. The rounds, which explode into a shower of burning white streaks, were first identified by The Times at the weekend when they were fired over Gaza at the start of Israel's ground offensive. Artillery experts said that the Israeli troops would be in trouble if they were banned from using WP because it is the simplest way of creating smoke to protect them from enemy fire. There were indications last night that many Palestinian civilians have been injured by the bombs, which burn intensely. Hassan Khalass, a doctor at al-Shifa hospital in Gaza City, told The Times that he had been dealing with patients who he suspected had been burnt by white phosphorus. Muhammad Azayzeh, 28, an emergency medical technician in the city, said: “The burns are very unusual. They don't look like burns we have normally seen. They are third-level burns that we can't seem to control.” Victims with embedded WP particles in their flesh have to have the affected areas flushed with water. Particles that cannot be removed with tweezers are covered with a saline-soaked dressing.

Palestinian children burned to death by white phosphorus shells fired on Gaza residential areas by Jewish soldiers. Nafez Abu Shaban, the head of the burns unit at al-Shifa hospital, said: “I am not familiar with phosphorus but many of the patients wounded in the past weeks have strange burns. They are very deep and not like burns we used to see.” When The Times reported on Monday that the Israeli troops appeared to be firing WP shells to create a thick smoke camouflage for units advancing into Gaza, an IDF spokesman denied the use of phosphorus and said that Israel was using only the weapons that were allowed under international law. Rows of the pale blue M825A1 WP shells were photographed on January 4 on the Israeli side of the Israel-Gaza border. Another picture showed the same munitions stacked up behind an Israeli self-propelled howitzer.

Confronted with the latest evidence, an IDF spokeswoman insisted that the M825A1 shell was not a WP type. "This is what we call a quiet shell - it is empty, it has no explosives and no white phosphorus. There is nothing inside it," she said.

In a Gaza residential area, a Palestinian child with its head blown open and burned out by a white phosphorus shell fired by Jewish soldiers. “We shoot it to mark the target before we launch a real shell. We launch two or three of the quiet shells which are empty so that the real shells will be accurate. It's not for killing people,” she said. Asked what shell was being used to create the smokescreen effect seen so clearly on television images, she said: "We're using what other armies use and we're not using any weapons that are banned under international law." Neil Gibson, technical adviser to Jane's Missiles and Rockets, insisted that the M825A1 was a WP round. “The M825A1 is an improved model. The WP does not fill the shell but is impregnated into 116 felt wedges which, once dispersed [by a high-explosive charge], start to burn within four to five seconds. They then burn for five to ten minutes. The smoke screen produced is extremely effective,” he said.

In a Gaza residential area, Palestinian children burning to death after Jewish soldiers fired white phosphorus shells into their schoolyard. The shell is not defined as an incendiary weapon by the Third Protocol to the Convention on Conventional Weapons because its principal use is to produce smoke to protect troops. However, Marc Galasco, of Human Rights Watch, said: “Recognising the significant incidental incendiary effect that white phosphorus creates, there is great concern that Israel is failing to take all feasible steps to avoid civilian loss of life and property by using WP in densely populated urban areas. This concern is amplified given the technique evidenced in media photographs of air-bursting WP projectiles at relatively low levels, seemingly to maximise its incendiary effect.” He added, however, that Human Rights Watch had no evidence that Israel was using incendiaries as weapons. British and American artillery units have stocks of white phosphorus munitions but they are banned as anti-personnel weapons. "“These munitions are not unlawful as their purpose is to provide obscuration and not cause injury by burning," a Ministry of Defence source said.

Mads Gilbert, a Norwegian war surgery specialist working in Gaza, told The Times that he had seen injuries believed to have resulted from Israel's use of a new "dense inert metal explosive" that caused "extreme explosions". He said: "Those inside the perimeter of this weapon's power zone will be torn completely apart. We have seen numerous amputations that we suspect have been caused by this."