Israel: Military to Stop Using Shells Containing Phosphorus
|
Version 0 of 1. The Israeli military said on Friday that it planned to remove shells containing phosphorus from active use within about a year. The munitions, typically used to illuminate a battlefield or to create a smokescreen to mask troop movements, will be replaced with a new type of shell that uses gas, the military said. Israeli and international human rights organizations accused Israel of using white phosphorus munitions improperly during Israel’s three-week military offensive against Hamas and other militant groups in Gaza in the winter of 2008-9. Such munitions are not prohibited under international law, but they are not supposed to be used in civilian areas, because white phosphorus is highly flammable and, like napalm, it can burn flesh. Israel maintained that its use of shells containing phosphorus did not violate international law. |