Israel Rains Fire On Gaza With Phosphorus Shells

Israel Rains Fire On Gaza With Phosphorus Shells

www.timesonline.co.uk

Israel is believed to be using controversial white phosphorus shells to screen its assault on the heavily populated Gaza Strip yesterday. The weapon, used by British and US forces in Iraq, can cause horrific burns but is not illegal if used as a smokescreen.

(visit the link for the full news article)

Again with the phosphorous. It wasn't very effective in Lebanon a while back. So why use it as a smoke-screen again? Unless it is actually being used to make life for the Palestinians as uncomfortable as possible.

The Geneva Treaty of 1980 stipulates that white phosphorus should not be used as a weapon of war in civilian areas, but there is no blanket ban under international law on its use as a smokescreen or for illumination.

Well... isn't that a convenient loophole.

www.timesonline.co.uk
(visit the link for the full news article)

[edit on 5/1/2009 by Beelzebubba]

Basically the whole area under those cones of smoke are being incinerated. I find the palistinian mortality figures questionable at best.

Further, Norwegian Red Cross doctors are reporting on DIME munitions being used on residential areas with many civilians being taken to the hospital.

[edit on 043131p://am3133 by masonwatcher]

Dr. Paul on the Travesty in Gaza



Everyone listen to the wise words of Dr. Paul!
Of course I couldn't have said it better myself!

White Phosphorus (WP)

White Phosphorus (WP), known as Willy Pete, is used for signaling, screening, and incendiary purposes. White Phosphorus can be used to destroy the enemy's equipment or to limit his vision. It is used against vehicles, petroleum, oils and lubricants (POL) and ammunition storage areas, and enemy observers. WP can be used as an aid in target location and navigation. It is usually dispersed by explosive munitions. It can be fired with fuze time to obtain an airburst. White phosphorus was used most often during World War II in military formulations for smoke screens, marker shells, incendiaries, hand grenades, smoke markers, colored flares, and tracer bullets.

Link

My understanding is that WP rounds can cause great harm to a person if they come into contact, but the same could be said for a road flare. This does not seem to be an attempt to harm civilians regardless of your political/ideological affiliations. Before you call me an Israeli cheerleader, I refuse to support either side in this senseless war. I am simply trying to shed some light on the situation. My assumption from the video I have seen is that these rounds are being used to illuminate areas that the IDF wants to target with tanks. I am more concerned with the bombs/bullets than I am with WP rounds.

[edit on 5-1-2009 by Raustin]

reply to post by Beelzebubba


Yeah BB I saw the IDF using the WP on live feed yesterday morning , it was nighttime in Gaza at the time.

I wondered if that was what I was witnessing. How can the IDF use this weapon in the city. That's just dead wrong, all of this because of some IER's (Imrovised Explosive Rockets) with no GPS that would seem to me could easily be stopped with available technology.

I beg to differ that WP is no more dangerous than a road flare. Try something more along the lines of lobbing hundreds of lit road flares into an urban area spreading them equally in the area of a couple of football fields and you're getting warmer. Oh, and you can't put out the fire no matter what...it just keeps on burning till the fuel is spent.
If you watch the news clips of the WP going off above the city, notices how there are bursts of fire happening where the smoke trails meet the horizon. Looks to me like the globs of WP hitting the ground are exploding again when they impact something.

As engineer i do have to point out normal flares use phosphorus as well. Even though this does look sound like white phosphorus, have to wait for doctors on the grounds reports on the injuries before concluding properly i suppose.

oops too late didn't read the above comments.

[edit on 5-1-2009 by SR]

I have tried not to comment on any of this stuff becouse its so


Makes me sick infact...

War sucks even more so when you use a Hammer to crack a nutt

reply to post by 4N6310


WP does and will cause fires, but is not being used as a weapon against civilians. Again, the bullets and bombs are of more concern than WP rounds. I'd rather have my house catch on fire, than be blown or shot up. Again, not taking sides, but WP rounds are of relatively little risk compared to everything else.

[edit on 5-1-2009 by Raustin]

White Phorphorus

the random use of WP against civilian targets is banned under the CCWC and is a war crime

i don`t care if you want to feign innocence and say ` were not signed to it` ` its for smoke only`- many countries arn`t signed to the NPT and yet the USA is making a rather large fuss of nuclear tech.

UN CCWC LINK

and the specific protocol

Protocol 3 of the CCWC banning incendary weapons against civilians

you cannot go blanket bombing a city in WP (as they did in fullajah) - its a war crime


White Phosphorus cannot be extinghuished purely by water - as a chemical agent it usually requires a water/sand sprayed mix - or let it burn out.

please watch ` we were soldiers ` to see the effects of WP - they have to cut the chemical out to stop it from burning through the soldiers leg - which is the truth.

So, you people now are mad because Israel is complying with international law on use of white phosphorus in this conflict? And yet not a word on Hamas hurling unguided munitions into Israeli civilian communities willy-nilly. You guys really do take the cake.

How any person doesn't think they are targeting civilians is a joke. Those pictures show the weapons being used in urban areas, where civialians would live.

The trio of nations, usa/uk/israel, are just pure scum, when they do what they want to kill and torturing people. they are torturing everyone in gaza today, and getting away with it. But what is beyond belief is that people defend there actions, have you people no heart and no eyes.

This stuff will never end with america in the world, as they have total control over the un, and could not give a toss.

The western media are a pure joke, and utter scum, for not explaning this to there populations.

I can just imagine tony blair and obama, sitting there watching this, having orgasms, thinking what they can do is so great because no one can stop them. The arab governments are a fokking joke, why did they ever side with america, fools.

[edit on 1/5/2009 by andy1033]

Originally posted by masonwatcher
Further, Norwegian Red Cross doctors are reporting on DIME munitions being used on residential areas with many civilians being taken to the hospital.

First, the "Norwegian medics" were reporting it was DU.

Now it's DIME.

OK, which is it?

Someone needs to get their propaganda machine on the right track.

Originally posted by masonwatcher
Further, Norwegian Red Cross doctors are reporting on DIME munitions being used on residential areas with many civilians being taken to the hospital.

[edit on 043131p://am3133 by masonwatcher]

Right. But you conveniently left out that it was reported by iranian media - a real "bastion of truth".

The next report will have Israel using something like mustard gas and only targeting schools and hospitals with it.

And some of you like to complain about Fox news.

Originally posted by 4N6310
Basically the whole area under those cones of smoke are being incinerated. I find the palistinian mortality figures questionable at best.

I'd like to see a reputable source to prove the above statement. We have weapons experts on ATS that could prove or disprove what you say. Without one, your post is nothing more than hype meant to "inflame" other members here. Oh, and it's "palestinian", not the way you spelled it ...

Originally posted by centurion1211

Originally posted by masonwatcher
Further, Norwegian Red Cross doctors are reporting on DIME munitions being used on residential areas with many civilians being taken to the hospital.

[edit on 043131p://am3133 by masonwatcher]

Right. But you conveniently left out that it was reported by iranian media - a real "bastion of truth".

The next report will have Israel using something like mustard gas and only targeting schools and hospitals with it.

And some of you like to complain about Fox news.

thought they did that anyway and we all knew about it....


sorry for the sarcasm
its just that recently , the media is as much of a weapon in any war as guns and bombs - truth is the first thing out of the window , and right behind is real information - `embedded` reporters not actually seeing anything and repeating press releases etc

I "knew" that was withe phosphorus when I saw it on the news last night. Can anyone tell me why I "knew" that. How do they look different from conventional flares? Is it just the brightness, or the pattern in which they are deployed?

white phosphorus is some wicked stuff.
it basically reacts with water, and the human body is mostly water, so you end up getting things like this picture here:



all that is left are bones and clothes. like some sci fi movie. that picture is from when US troops used that crap on some civilians in faluja. the thing is the military will say they are using it for smoke screens when the really are using it to break the population. more lies. too bad lies make the world go round these days.

my thoughts are with the palestinian people (not hammas or israel)