AMNESTY INTERNATIONAL : Israel Committed War Crimes - AFP REPORT

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AMNESTY INTERNATIONAL : Israel Committed War Crimes
Human rights group Amnesty International accused Israel of war crimes, saying its use of white phosphorus in Gaza was indiscriminate and illegal.
Amnesty International (AI) 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,“ the rights group said in a statement, AFP reported.
“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 touring Gaza as part of a four-person fact-finding team.
Donatella Rovera, Amnesty’s researcher on Israel and the occupied Palestinian territories, said the use could amount to a war crime. “Such extensive use of this weapon in Gaza’s densely-populated residential neighborhoods is inherently indiscriminate,“ she said in the statement. “Its repeated use in this manner, despite evidence of its indiscriminate effects and its toll on civilians, is a war crime.“
White phosphorous is frequently used to produce smoke screens, but can also be used as a weapon as it causes extreme burns if it makes contact with skin.
Israel claims the use of the substance is not illegal under international law, but the indiscriminate use of any weapon in densely populated areas can be the basis of war crimes charges.
Medics in Gaza say over 1,300 Palestinians were killed during the offensive.
Four thousand homes have been reduced to ruins and tens of thousands of people are homeless. A UN official said 500,000 people have been without water since the bombardment began on December 27 and huge numbers are without power.

Ban Demands Probe
UN chief Ban Ki-moon is demanding a full investigation into the Israeli shelling of three United Nations buildings in the Gaza Strip.
Appearing stern and angry, Ban made the demand during a trip to Gaza on Tuesday.
During a recent three-week offensive, Israeli shelling struck the U.N. headquarters in Gaza as well as two UN schools. The attacks heavily damaged the headquarters and killed nearly 40 people near one of the schools.
Ban called the attacks “outrageous“ and demanded a “full investigation“ through proper judiciary systems. He also demanded guarantees it would never happen again.
In a ceremony at the burnt-out UN headquarters, Ban asked the crowd to observe a moment of silence for victims of the offensive.
“It has been especially troubling and heartbreaking for me as secretary-general that I couldn’t end this faster,“ he said. He warned the truce is fragile, and called on Israel and Hamas to “exercise maximum restraint and nurture the cease-fire.“
The first estimates by independent surveyors said Gaza lost nearly $2 billion in assets, including 4,100 homes, about 1,500 factories and workshops, 20 mosques, 31 security compounds, and 10 water or sewage lines. Shattered glass and mounds of rubble littered city streets.