Israel used banned weaponry: report

The UN nuclear watchdog said on Wednesday it would investigate allegations by Arab countries that Israel may have used ammunition containing depleted uranium during its 22-day military offensive in Gaza.

The countries made the allegations in a letter addressed to Director General Mohammad Al Baradei and delivered by the Saudi Arabian ambassador on Monday. More and more reports continue to surface about Israels controversial 'white smoke' weapon that leaves its victims suffocated and with devastating burns.

One of the victims was a 17-year-old Mohammad who was playing with his cousin Haitham outside their home. A bomb was launched over their heads and landed next to them setting Mohammad alight. His cousin watched as he burned.

Moments later a shell hit the area. Haitham recalled that his cousin's "body was burning and I could see heavy white smoke all around, I didn't know what was happening. I couldn't save him or help him. I didn't even notice that my own body was on fire."

Haitham's face and arms were burning as he watched his cousin's entire body go up in flames.

"I started screaming," he remembers, when he started to feel the burns on his body. "I couldn't breathe," he said, his chest felt tight, his throat stung and he 'felt paralysed.'

Mohammad took a direct hit from a white phosphorus bomb. He was knocked unconscious and sustained serious burns all over his body. He was taken to hospital where he remained unconscious. The boy was then transferred to Egypt for medical treatment where he remains in a coma.

IAEA spokeswoman Melissa Fleming pledged to investigate the matter.

"We are circulating the letter to member states and will investigate the matter to the extent of our ability," Fleming said.

The exact course of action would be decided after consultation with member states.

The Israeli army says all its weapons in the Gaza offensive were entirely legal, but until now has refused to specify which weapons it used.

In a statement, the Israeli army confirmed it would look into the allegations that it had misused the substance but said it "only uses weapons permitted by law".

White phosphorus sticks to human skin and will burn right through to the bone, causing death or leaving survivors with painful wounds.Its ingestion or inhalation can also be fatal.

While the weapon used by Israel against Gazan residents is still under investigation, doctors remain frustrated, as treatment for the patient depends on the nature of the weapon used.