US questions Israel on visuals of naked Palestinian prisoners

Washington: The US has turned up questioning Israel on visuals of Palestinian prisoners, naked and blindfolded, being seated in rows surfaced in social media. Washington, which is doing everything it can to back Israel in its open attack in Gaza, however commented that the visuals were deeply disturbing, Reuters reported.

According to the report, the US administration has sought clarification on the circumstances of the photographs.

Israel at first, gave a clarification that the prisoners were stripped because the heat and temperature in the Middle East call for that. A recent Reuters report stated that Israel's clarification is that the military was checking whether the prisoners were hiding explosives or weapons.

According to reports, civilians and refugees are captured and tortured in this manner by Israeli troops and taken to unknown locations. Various human rights organizations have criticized Israel's treatment of prisoners as shocking and reminiscent of World War II.

Further, the White House also enquired about the alleged use of white phosphorus munitions by Israel in an October attack in southern Lebanon. The White House said on Monday that it was concerned about the use of the chemical in Israel's attacks since it was supplied by the US. Legally, the said munitions were supposed to be used to make smoke screens and other uses since they could cause serious burns.

However, Israel claimed that the use of white phosphorus, as alleged by Human Rights Watch, in Gaza and Lebanon was "unequivocally false", Reuters reported.

Meanwhile, Israel's offensive in Gaza continued on Tuesday, and the Palestinian death toll has reached 18,200. While the global call for a ceasefire is still on, it is expected that a non-binding vote will be passed at the United Nations later on Tuesday.