Security

U.N. Presses White Phosphorus Allegation in Gaza

Yesterday, David Hambling and I took a closer look at the allegations Israel struck a U.N. compound with white phosphorus shells. To recap: a U.N. compound in Gaza caught fire after being struck by Israeli artillery shells; U.N. Chief Ban Ki-moon protested; and Israeli Defense Minister Ehud Barak subsequently apologized. Shortly after the incident, which […]

Bangaza_10_465616a_2 Yesterday, David Hambling and I took a closer look at the allegations Israel struck a U.N. compound with white phosphorus shells. To recap: a U.N. compound in Gaza caught fire after being struck by Israeli artillery shells; U.N. Chief Ban Ki-moon protested; and Israeli Defense Minister Ehud Barak subsequently apologized.

Shortly after the incident, which was reportedly in response to fire from Hamas militants inside the compound, United Nations Relief and Works Agency spokesman Chris Gunness claimed fires had been started by white phosphorus shells. The United Nations now continues to press the claim. In a video conference from Gaza, John Ging, the director of operations for UNRWA, gave his account of the incident.

"It looked like phosphorous, it smelled like phosphorous and it burned like phosphorous, so that's why I'm calling it phosphorous," Ging said.

Ging said U.N. officials had warned Israeli liaison officers that shrapnel had been coming into their compound. UNRWA also had fuel trucks parked in their compound that were supposed to be dispatched to resupply centers -- and Ging said they notified the Israelis of their location. Shortly thereafter, the compound was hit by shellfire.

Now, as Hambling observed yesterday, those firsthand observations do not necessarily mean the UN folks have it right. The shells, he wrote, may have been standard high explosive -- white phosphorus shells only burn a few minutes -- and there was plenty of stuff around to catch fire. Still, U.N. humanitarian affairs chief John Holmes is echoing the claim. Reuters quotes him as saying: "Those on the ground don't have any doubt that's what they were. If you were looking for confirmation, that looks like it to me."

[PHOTO: timesonline.co.uk]

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