Israel faces mounting accusations that its military committed war crimes during its massive 22-day offensive on Hamas in the densely-populated Gaza Strip. The main charges centre on the army's alleged use of white phosphorous during the campaign, Israel's deadliest ever on a Palestinian territory. The allegations first began surfacing a week after the Jewish state sent ground troops into Gaza on January 3 following a week of air and naval bombardment of the territory -- one of the most densely populated places on earth where half of the 1.5 million population is under the age of 18.