Israeli Human rights group: Israel uses forbidden weapons against Palestinians
Palestine-Israel, Military, 2/5/2003

The leading Israeli human rights group, BÕTselem, accused Israeli Occupation Forces (IOF) of using prohibited weapons against Palestinian civilians as well against crowded neighborhoods, especially in the Gaza Strip. In a report issued this week, the Israeli human rights group accused the IOF of using flachette rounds in shelling civilian Palestinian neighborhoods in violation of international law and human rights regulations, the PNA reported the group as saying.

These shells, which are generally fired from tanks, explode in the air releasing thousands of metal darts 3.75 mm in length, which disperse in a conical arch three hundred meters long and about ninety meters wide.

The IOF used flachettes in Lebanon killing and wounding dozens of Lebanese civilians, who were not involved in fighting, including children, BÕTselem said.

Since the beginning of the al-Aqsa Intifada, or uprising against Israeli occupation, IOF has used flachettes against Palestinians, especially in the Gaza Strip.

The IOF even confirmed Sunday that it had fired outlawed Flachette tank shells on Friday at a group of three Palestinian children playing soccer the Jabalya refugee camp, in the Gaza Strip.

BÕTselem confirmed that as of February 2 2003, these shells have killed at least nine Palestinians.

On 3 March 2001, flachette darts killed Mustafa Rimlawi, 42-- a mentally handicapped resident of the al-Burej refugee camp-- as he was walking along the Karni-Netzarim road in the Gaza Strip.

On 9 March 2001, Zaid Ayad, a resident of the Gaza Strip, was killed on the same road by a similar shell.

On 30 December 2001, three minors were killed by flachettes that where fired near Beit Lahiya. They were Muhammad Ahmad Lubad, age 17; Muhammad Abd al-Rahman al-Madhun, age 15; and Ahmad Muhammad Banat, age 15.

The group condemned the use of flachettes and called for a complete halt of the use of such internationally-forbidden weapons by IOF against Palestinians.

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