Israel is using white phosphorous on areas populated by civilians in its assault on Gaza. This is a direct violation of the 1980 Geneva Treaty which forbids the use of such weapons on civilian populations. Exploded at low altitude over population areas, white phosphorous rains down on the population, and when it comes into contact with the skin, it continues burning until it reaches bone.

But that's not the only illegal weapon being used by Israel: An interview with a Norwegian doctor Mads Gilbert appears to reveal that Israel is using a new close-range explosive shell that causes severe injuries and battlefield amputations on the civilians being stuck by these weapons. Children are having their legs cut off, many are having their abdomens sliced open by the new weapon, and others are simply being killed outright, according to Dr. Gilbert.

Dr. Gilbert describes the Israeli operations as "an all-out war against the civilian Palestinian population in Gaza."

A rather graphic YouTube video describing the real events (not the sanitized American version of reality) is available here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ev6ojm62qwA

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Both the United States and Israel routinely use illegal weapons against civilian populations in the Middle East, including firing depleted uranium shells into city structures (roads, buildings, bridges, etc.), thereby contaminating the region with latent radiation for the next few thousand years.

Is the use of such weapons justified against civilian populations, given the previous rocket attacks on Israel?

Is the Israeli war a justified attack on "terrorists," or just another form of genocide?

Voice your opinions in the comment section below. We moderate all comments, and we delete any comments that get too outlandish with personal attacks or profanity, but if you have thoughtful comments (even impassioned ones), we will approve them. For this topic, try to stay focused on the health and humanitarian aspects of this debate, as this article is reporting a doctor's view of the events taking place in Gaza right now.

If you want my take on all this, I'm against all violence to settle disputes, but then again, what can you do if your neighbors keep sending rockets over the fence? But even if a nation decides to strike back, isn't the manner in which they conduct such acts of vengeance strongly indicative of their true intentions? Does Israel really have to kill so many civilians in the process of so-called self defense? Post your own comments below…