Israel accused of using flechette weapons on Palestinian civilians
The Israeli military has been accused of using flechette shells during its offensive in Gaza, which can cause widespread harm and death to civilians. The weapons, though legal in Israel and internationally, have been slammed as inhumane by rights groups.
The munitions are normally fired by tanks and contain thousands
of small darts, which are released when the shell explodes in
midair. The flechette shells are only four centimeters in length.
The Palestinian Center for Human Rights (PCHR) reported that
Israel has already used six shells, which were fired towards the
village of Khuzaa in the Gaza Strip. Nahla Khalil Najjar, a 37
year-old women, suffered injuries to her chest, it said. PCHR
provided a picture of flechettes taken by a fieldworker last
week, the Guardian reported.
The Israel Defense Forces have not denied using the shells during
the two week long 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 spokesman for the Israeli army stated.
The shells are not illegal under international humanitarian law,
while the internet site, electronicintifada, which champions the
Palestinian cause, reports that Israel has been using the
munitions since March 2000. Flechette shells were declared legal
by the Israeli Supreme Court in 2002.
However, a 2011 report by the Israeli human rights group B’Tselem described them as carrying “a particularly high danger of harming innocent civilians”. The group describes the explosives as ‘an anti-personal’ weapon. Once fired the metal darts can disperse in a conical arch 300 meters long and about 90 meters wide. Therefore they can cause widespread civilian casualties if used in a built up area, such as Gaza.
B'Tselem added, "other rules of humanitarian law render their
use in the Gaza Strip illegal. 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."
Meanwhile, US Secretary of State John Kerry was overheard on
Sunday expressing what appeared to be pointed concern over the
deaths of civilians during an Israeli offensive in Gaza.
In a conversation caught on an open microphone before an
interview, Kerry made what seemed to be a sarcastic remark about
Israel's insistence it was doing its utmost to avoid civilian
casualties in operations against Hamas militants.
"It's a hell of a pinpoint operation. It's a hell of a
pinpoint operation," he said during the call, which was
broadcast on Fox News Sunday.
On Sunday, more than 60 Palestinians, including women and
children, were killed as Israel shelled a Gaza neighborhood and
battled militants. Thirteen Israeli soldiers also were killed.
