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.

Six flechette shells were fired towards the village of Khuzaa, east of Khan Younis, last Thursday, according to the Palestinian Centre for Human Rights.

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.