by C.U.@ The Hague !
Tuesday, Feb. 04, 2003 at 1:43 AM
"...Flachette shells, which
scatter thousands of pieces of metal after being fired and whose
use is curtailed under international treaties.
The IDF said the shells were fired Friday night.. "
Haaretz
2 February 2003
IDF troops fired outlawed tank shells at children playing soccer
in the Jabalya refugee camp in the Gaza Strip over the weekend,
Israel Radio quoted Palestinians sources as saying Sunday.
Nine children were reported to have been hurt - three moderately
to seriously and six lightly - by the Flachette shells, which
scatter thousands of pieces of metal after being fired and whose
use is curtailed under international treaties.
The IDF said the shells were fired Friday night at three
Palestinians who were apparently trying to launch Kassam rockets
and mortar shells east of the camp. According to the
Palestinians, the children were playing soccer and had brought
with them moveable goalposts that could have been mistaken for
rocket launchers.
The Flachette shell were originally used in southern Lebanon
during Israel's occupation. They were seen as an efficient means
of battle that allowed a wide area to be covered by IDF fire
against Hezbollah units that moved around in open areas outside
the villages.
In the Gaza Strip, however, the situation is more complicated,
and conventional arms can be fired more accurately than the
Flachette shells.
Controversy in Israel over the use of Flachette shells began
after three Palestinian women were mistakenly killed in June 2001
when a Flachette shell was fired on the Gaza encampment in which
the women lived.
In another incident, eight Palestinians were killed and more than
50 wounded in October 2002 by Flachette shells in the Gaza
refugee camp of Rafah refugee camp
Original: IDF troops fired outlawed tank shells at Palestinian children playing soccer