During the late 2008 early 2009 Israel attack on Gaza, The Times alleged that M825A1 WP shells were used in bombardments on Gaza. The Times published a photograph to support its claim. An Israeli Defence Forces spokesperson stated that the M825A1 shells being used were empty, containing neither explosives nor white phosphorus.
Marc Garlasco, a senior military analyst at Human Rights Watch called for Israel to desist using the controvertial munitions in densely populated civilian areas stating "Clearly it is [white phosphorus], we can tell by the explosions and the tendrils that go down [and] the fires that were burning".
Qattar based international broadcaster Al-Jazeera, the only international news media with reporters and camera crews in Gaza during the conflict, has reported that Israel may be using white phosphorous rounds against civilian areas and has repeatedly challenged Israeli spokesmen and women to repudiate this claim. An Israeli government spokesman said he would look into and reply to these claims and referred Al-Jazeera to the Israeli Defence Forces (IDF) spokeswoman.
However, when questioned, the Israeli army spokeswoman refused to confirm or deny the reports, saying only that all its munitions complied with the law. The Israeli army also said operational secrecy prevented disclosure of its weaponry, but emphasised it "only employs weapons permitted by international law".
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/White_p...3Gaza_conflict [