Amnesty International Calls on SOS Clinton To Call for Investigation of Israel's Gazan Invasion

The pale blue 155mm rounds are clearly marked with the designation M825A1, an American-made white phosphorus munition.

"The pain is piercing. It's as though a fire is burning in my body. It's too much for me to bear. In spite of all the medicine they are giving me the pain is still so strong."

The words of Samia Salman Al-Manay'a, 16 years old, who was asleep in her home in the Jabalia refugee camp in Gaza, when a phosphorus shell landed on the first floor of the house on January 10th, ten days later, from her hospital bed.

A new report released just hours ago reveals that U.S.-made white phosphorus artillery shells among other U.S. weapons were found throughout Gaza. When white phosphorus munitions are used in densely-populated civilian areas as Israel has, it violates international humanitarian law’s prohibition on indiscriminate attacks and amounts to a war crime.

In light of this new finding, we are urging Secretary of State Hillary Clinton to immediately call for:

• an investigation into Israel’s use of U.S. arms in Gaza
• a suspension of U.S. military aid to Israel and
• to urge the United Nations to impose an arms embargo on all parties in the conflict

Since 2001, the U.S. has been the largest supplier of arms to Israel. The U.S. has also provided considerable funding each year for Israel to buy arms despite U.S. legislation that restricts such aid to consistently gross human rights violators. Since 2002 Israel received over $21 billion in U.S. military and security assistance. Put simply, Israel's military intervention in the Gaza Strip has been equipped to a large extent by US-supplied weapons, munitions and military equipment paid for with U.S. taxpayers’ money.

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Read also Investigate misuse of US weapons in Gaza and stop arms transfers to Israel.