Gaza building apparently hit by phosphorus: U.N.

By Patrick Worsnip

UNITED NATIONS (Reuters) - A warehouse in a U.N. compound in Gaza that came under Israeli fire on Thursday was apparently hit by white-phosphorus shells, U.N. humanitarian affairs chief John Holmes said.

It was the first public allegation by a senior U.N. official echoing an accusation by Human Rights Watch last week that Israel had used white phosphorus, which can be used an incendiary weapon as well as making smoke screens or marking targets.

"The main warehouse was badly damaged by what appeared to be white-phosphorus shells," Holmes told reporters at a news briefing in New York. "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."

Western officials say white phosphorus is not specifically banned, but a 1983 international convention prohibits the use of incendiary weapons against civilians.

"If they hit people, they cause appalling burns, and if they hit buildings they can set them on fire, which is why we are saying they should not be used in these circumstances, whether or not they are banned," Holmes said.

Israel has refused comment on the munitions it is using in Gaza, but the Israeli army confirmed in 2006 that it had used phosphorus shells during its war against Hezbollah guerrillas in Lebanon.

The compound shelled on Thursday belongs to the U.N. Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees, known as UNRWA. A separate attack hit a vocational training center there, Holmes said. Three people were injured in the two attacks.

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