Police: Terrorists Fired Phosphorus Shells Into Israel

Two phosphorous mortars were fired at southern Israel from Gaza on Wednesday, Police Spokesman Micky Rosenfeld told The Jerusalem Post.

"A police bomb disposal team examined a number of mortars that were fired... we can confirm that two out of the nine mortars contained phosphorous," Rosenfeld added.

Israel Police said it was not the first time that phosphorous shells had been fired at Israel from Gaza.

Haim Yalin, head of the Eshkol Regional Council where the phosphorous mortars landed, reacted sharply to the news of the phosphorus mortar attacks. "These weapons have been banned by the Geneva convention. They cause burns among victims and they kill. This is an agricultural area, and we now have to explain to farmers how to deal with burns in light of the phosphorus mortars," he told the Post.

Yalin added that firefighters and paramedics operating in his area would now have prepare for further phosphorous shells. "We are preparing to go back to the situation that we faced before Operation Cast Lead, when we faced continuous mortar, rocket and sniper attacks," he said.

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