Israeli occupation forces arrested overnight Sunday, two Palestinians in the West Bank cities of Hebron and Nablus. A Tanzim memeber was also arrested in Bethlehem.
Meanwhile, the Israeli army admitted Sunday that it had fired outlawed Flachette tank shells on Friday at a group of three Palestinians thought to have been trying to launch home-made Qassam rockets west of the Jabalya refugee camp, in the Gaza Strip. The Israeli army claimed that the shells were fired at an open area rather than at a residential area.
According to Palestinian witnesses, nine individuals were hurt in the shelling, three of whom were children playing soccer. The sources said that what the Israeli army perceived to be rocket launchers were actually moveable goalposts.
Palestinians said that of the nine peole injured, three were in moderate to serious condition, while six were lightly wounded by the Flachette shells, which scatter thousands of pieces of metal after being fired and whose use is curtailed under international treaties.
Flechettes are an anti-personnel weapon that is generally fired from tanks. The Israeli army uses flechette shells that are 105 mm in diameter and are fired from tanks.
The Israeli army used flechettes in Lebanon against the Hizbullah. 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 Israeli army has used flechettes against Palestinians in the Gaza Strip. As of 5 September, 2002, these shells have killed at least eight civilians. (Albawaba.com)
