MOSCOW, October 11. /TASS/. Israel does not use phosphorus bombs, Ambassador to Russia Alexander Ben Zvi told TASS.

"It must be refuted. It is not true. Nowadays, you know, everyone is on social media, and everyone has a mobile phone. It is merely nonsense," the diplomat said when asked about such allegations.

Earlier, the Palestinian Foreign Ministry said Israel was using phosphorus and cluster munitions in the Gaza Strip.

Tensions flared up in the Middle East after HAMAS militants from the Gaza Strip attacked Israeli territory. HAMAS views its attack as a response to Israeli authorities’ steps against the Al-Aqsa Mosque on Jerusalem’s Temple Mount. Israel declared a total blockade of the Gaza Strip and launched bombardments of the enclave and some Lebanese and Syrian areas. Clashes broke out in the West Bank. More than 1,000 Palestinians have been killed and almost 5,500 others injured. In Israel, at least 1,500 people have lost their lives and more than 4,000 have been wounded.