The weapon sticks to human skin and will burn through to the bone.
It can cause death or leave survivors with painful wounds which are slow to heal. Its ingestion or inhalation can also be fatal.
Army investigation
The UN said its headquarters were hit by three white phosphorus shells during the offensive, causing a fire destroying much of its aid supplies.
Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch and foreign journalists who have gone into Gaza since the operation ended say they have found evidence of its use in crowded residential areas.
The Israeli army said on Wednesday it would investigate the allegations.
But Mr Palmor told the BBC that the probe had so far found no evidence to support the claims.
"Parts of the Gaza Strip are open battlefield and I'm not going to go into the specific circumstances of each and every incident because I haven't investigated and neither have you," he said.
"I will content myself with quoting the words of the ICRC, the International Red Cross.... that they have no evidence of illegal use of white phosphorus in Gaza. Total idiocy.
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