ISRAEL has broken international law by using white phosphorus incendiary shells on residential buildings in southern Lebanon, Human Rights Watch alleged today.
This coincided with United Nations agencies warning that over one million Palestinians in Gaza could face starvation by the middle of next month if there is no end to the current Israeli military offensive.
In a damning new report, the global human rights group says there is no evidence of burns injuries caused by white phosphorus in Lebanon, but that researchers have “heard accounts indicating possible respiratory damage.”
Human rights campaigners point out that it is a crime under international law to fire white phosphorus munitions into populated areas.
Israel maintains that it is used only as a smokescreen and not to target civilians.
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