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B’Tselem, det Israeliska informations centret för mänskliga rättigheter i de ockuperade territorierna rapporterar att den Israeliska armen använder Flechette granater i Gaza. Och att det vara en granat av den typen som dödade Reuters fotograf. Flechette granaten inehåller tusentals små metall pilar som när den avfyras sprider sig i en kon 300 meters stor och 90 meter bred. Avsikten är att den ska användas mot stora grupper av fiende soldater då den ytterst effektivt mejar ner allt som rör sig. Problemet är förstås att det hög risk man träffar även civila i tättbefolkade områden eller i stads bebyggelse.

Rights group: IDF must ban shell that killed cameraman in Gaza - Haaretz - Israel News

An investigation into the death of a Palestinian cameraman who was killed Wednesday in the Gaza Strip revealed that he had been hit by a Flechette shell fired from an Israel Defense Forces tank, prompting the human rights group B’Tselem to reiterate their demand to discontinue the use of this fatal type of munition. The Flechette shell explodes in the air and releases thousands of metal darts which disperse in a conical arch three hundred meters long and some ninety meters wide. The use of this type of shell increases the likelihood that someone other than the target will be hit by the shell’s darts, thus endangering innocent civilians. Fadel Shana, 23, was working for the news agency Reuters filming Israeli tanks when he was killed. Two other Palestinian civilians were also killed in the same incident. Advertisement In a statement, B’Tselem demanded Thursday that the Military Advocate General “immediately issue instructions to suspend the use of this deplorable form of munition in the Gaza Strip, and launch a criminal investigation into the circumstances surrounding the incident.” The human rights organization maintains that over the past seven years, at least 18 Palestinians were killed by Flechette shells in the Gaza Strip, and at least 11 of them were civilians. Israel has drawn harsh criticism in the past over its determination to continue using Flechette shells. These shells have been denounced globally due to their dangerously wide range.

B’Tselem - Flechette Shells: an illegal weapon

The flechette shell is an anti-personnel weapon that is generally fired from a tank. The shell explodes in the air and releases 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 IDF uses flechette shells that are 105 mm in diameter and are fired from tanks. The primary military advantage of the flechette over other munitions is its ability to penetrate dense vegetation very rapidly and to strike a relatively large number of enemy soldiers. The IDF used flechettes in Lebanon against the Hizbullah and the other militias fighting against Israel. The flechettes killed and wounded dozens of Lebanese civilians who were not involved in the hostilities, including children. Since the beginning of the al-Aqsa intifada, the IDF has used flechettes against Palestinians in the Gaza Strip. As of 2 February 2003, these shells have killed at least nine Palestinians:

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