Israel using flechette dart weapons in Gaza, says human rights organisation
The Israeli military is believed to be using flechette shells, which spray out thousands of tiny and potentially lethal metal darts, in its military operation in Gaza.
The Israeli military is believed to be using flechette shells, which spray out thousands of tiny and potentially lethal metal darts, in its military operation in Gaza.
A woman, Nahla Khalil Najjar, 37, suffered chest injuries, it said, and the PCHR provided a picture of flechettes taken by a field worker last week.
The munitions are not prohibited under international law, but according to B'Tselem, an Israeli human rights organisation, "other rules of humanitarian law render their use in the Gaza Strip illegal". It added: "One of the most fundamental principles is the obligation to distinguish between those who are involved and those who are not involved in the fighting, and to avoid to the extent possible injury to those who are not involved.
"Deriving from this principle is the prohibition of the use of an imprecise weapon which is likely to result in civilian injuries."
The legality of flechette munitions was upheld by the Israeli supreme court in 2002, and according to an Israeli military source, they are particularly effective against enemy fighters operating in areas covered by vegetation.
The source said a number of armies around the world deploy flechette shells, which were intended solely for use against legitimate military targets in accordance with international law.
The Israel Defence Forces have deployed flechette shells in Gaza and Lebanon before. B'Tselem has documented the deaths of nine Palestinians in Gaza from flechettes in 2001 and 2002.
Flechettes have also killed and wounded dozens of civilians, including women and children, in conflicts between Israel and Hezbollah in Lebanon.
The Israeli military deployed artillery shells containing white phosphorous in densely populated areas of Gaza during Operation Cast Lead in 2008 and 2009, causing scores of deaths and extensive burns.
It initially issued denied reports of the use of white phosphorous, but later admitted it, saying the weapon was only used to create smokescreens.
Human Rights Watch said its use of the munitions in Operation Cast Lead was indiscriminate and evidence of war crimes.
B'Tselem describes a flechette as "an anti-personnel weapon that is generally fired from a tank. The shell explodes in the air and releases thousands of metal darts 37.5mm in length, which disperse in a conical arch 300 metres long and about 90 metres wide."
The Israeli military did not specifically deny using the shells in the current conflict. "As a rule, the IDF only employs weapons that have been determined lawful under international law, and in a manner which fully conforms with the laws of armed conflict," a spokesperson said.
In response to a legal challenge, the IDF said last year it would "avoid the use in built-up areas of artillery shells containing white phosphorus, with two narrow exceptions". The exceptions were not disclosed.
