The Palestinian Health Ministry has accused Israel of using the Dense Inert Metal Explosive (DIME) in striking the Gaza Strip."Medical teams have registered injuries consistent with those caused by DIME and other banned weapons," health undersecretary Youssef Abul Resh told a press conference in Gaza City's Shifa medical complex Sunday."Israel has mercilessly targeted Palestinian civilians leaving many of them with life-threatening injuries and future handicaps," he said.Israeli authorities were not immediately available to comment on the accusation.Renounced Norwegian doctor Mads Gilbert has also accused the Israeli army of using internationally banned weapons in its ongoing offensive against the Gaza Strip.He told a press conference in Gaza City that examinations of the bodies of the victims had shown that they had been subjected to internationally banned weapons.Gilbert added that these weapons cause major damage to the bodies, especially the limbs.Israel has launched a military offensive – dubbed "Operation Protective Edge" – against the Gaza Strip with the stated aim of ending rocket fire from the enclave.At least 172 Palestinians, mostly civilians, have been killed in Israeli airstrikes since late Monday.Gaza-based resistance factions, for their part, have continued to fire hundreds of rockets into Israel, some of which have reached Tel Aviv, in response to the ongoing offensive.No Israeli fatalities have been reported thus far.