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White phosphorous evidence in Gaza 'undeniable' says Amnesty
(AKI) - Human rights group Amnesty International said on Monday its delegates visiting the Gaza Strip found indisputable evidence of widespread use of white phosphorus in densely populated residential areas in Gaza City and in the north. "Yesterday, we saw streets and alleyways littered with evidence of the use of white phosphorus, including still burning wedges and the remnants of the shells and canisters fired by the Israeli army," said Christopher Cobb-Smith, a weapons expert who is in Gaza as part of a four-person Amnesty International fact-finding team.New-York based Human Rights Watch last week accused Israel of using artillery shells containing white phosphorous in Gaza during its recent military offensive. "White phosphorus is a weapon intended to provide a smokescreen for troop movements on the battlefield," said Cobb-Smith. "It is highly incendiary, air burst and its spread effect is such that it that should never be used on civilian areas". Donatella Rovera, Amnesty's researcher on Israel and the Occupied Palestinian Territories, agreed. "Such extensive use of this weapon in Gaza's densely populated residential neighbourhoods is inherently indiscriminate. "Its repeated use in this manner, despite evidence of its indiscriminate effects and its toll on civilians, is a war crime," she said. Posted by: Fred 2009-01-20 |
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