Report: Israel Used White Phosphorus Chemicals on Gaza's Population

Human Rights Watch, a New York based organization, published a new report accusing Israel of indiscriminately firing phosphorus based chemical weapons over the Gazan population during the last armed conflict in which Israel responded to Hamas' bombings of Israeli territory.

The report confirmed what millions of people witnessed around the world as multiple plums of white rained over the Gaza strip. Israel responded with aerial bombings after Hamas fired rockets into Israeli towns. Although Israeli strikes were seen as a way to defend its citizens from Hamas' 'unprovoked' attacks, the truth is that organizations like the U.N. have publicly denounced Israel's continuous violations of cease fires negotiated between the two sides with the intervention of regional players like Egypt and Jordan.

Although at first Israel denied the use of such weapons, in later reports the government in Tel Aviv said the use of the phosphorus weapons complied with international rules. It is now confirmed by Israel's own admissions that the army fired at least 20 phosphorus bombs during the attacks perpetrated on the civilian population.

During its offensive in Gaza, Israel fired against 3 schools, a hospital, several ambulances, medical personnel and civilian homes. The attacks with began on December 27 2008, Israel 1,350 Palestinians including children and women. But perhaps the worst part of the attacks had not happened.

On January 4, 2009, Israel evacuated some 110 Gazans, -including women and children- and housed them in a single residence in a neighborhood called Zeitoun. Twenty-four hours later, the Israeli army pounded the house with artillery killing at least 30 people. In a new pronouncement, United Nations' human rights commissioner Navi Pillay declared Israel's actions as 'war crimes'.

Due to the fact Israel has refrained from ratifying the Rome Statute of 1998, Israeli leaders cannot be brought to international courts such as the one in the Hague. Even when Israel calls accusations of war crimes baseless, the truth is that the use of chemical weapons such as the ones sprayed over Gaza are banned by the Convention on Conventional Weapons signed in 1980.

Such convention includes targets such as military bases which are located within populated areas, especially near hospitals and densely populated centers. According to the report issued by Human Rights Watch, the chemicals used by Israel; which are capable of burning human flesh down to the bone were sold to them by the United States government.