’Israel’ Using Illegal DIME Weapons in Seized Gaza: Doctors, Activists

Local Editor

Doctors and human rights activists say they have conclusive evidence that "Israel" used internationally banned weapons against civilians during its military aggression on the seized Gaza Strip, as it did during the previous two wars against seized Gaza in 2008-2009 and 2012.

Since the start of the latest "Israeli" military operation on seized Gaza, more than 1,939 Palestinians have been martyred and 9,800 others injured. Hundreds of the victims arrived at hospitals as charred corpses or in pieces, or with lost limbs and wounds that were difficult to treat, as Ministry of Health spokesman Ashraf al-Qadra told Al-Monitor.

Controversy erupted when Norwegian Dr. Erik Fosse, who recently visited seized Gaza to treat the wounded, accused "Israel" of using internationally prohibited weapons in its ongoing assault on the seized Gaza Strip.

Fosse said during a press conference on July 13 at Al-Shifa Hospital, attended by Al-Monitor that, "Many of the casualties that have arrived at the hospital confirm "Israel's" use of internationally banned weapons of the [Dense Inert Metal Explosive] DIME variety."

Dr. Fosse said at the press conference, "We were here during the last two wars against the [seized] Gaza Strip. We saw the same injuries, and through analysis by international laboratories we confirmed that "Israel" used this type of internationally banned weapon."

This assertion was confirmed by the Goldstone Report, published by a UN fact-finding mission after the 2009 war. It concluded that DIME weapons were used by "Israeli" forces. According to Article 907 of the report, "DIME weapons consist of a carbon-fiber casing filled with a homogenous mixture of an explosive material and small particles, basically a powder, of a heavy metal, for instance, a tungsten alloy. ... The tungsten powder tears apart anything it hits. The impact of such weapons in general causes very severe wounds."

The general director of the Palestinian Ministry of Health, Medhat Abbas, concurred with Dr. Fosse's statements, saying that, "There is ample evidence of "Israel's" use of internationally banned DIME weapons."
Abbas added that, "During the [2008-2009] war, we sent samples from the bodies of martyrs to international laboratories, which confirmed the use of DIME weapons. During the current war, we are finding that the marks left on the bodies of martyrs match the marks of the bodies of the [previous] war, 100%. This medically confirms that the weapons used were indeed DIME weapons."

He also added that, "Among the injuries confirming the use of DIMEs were second and third-degree burns and losses of upper and lower limbs. The clinical response of the injured bodies to treatment cannot be understood. For instance, while the wound is supposed to heal with antibiotics, it expands in a dangerous way that threatens the life of the injured."

Moreover, Al-Monitor's two-hour stay at Al-Shifa Hospital in seized Gaza saw the arrival of 11 civilians, all with amputated limbs, eight of whom were martyred shortly after their arrival. The skin was charred and the tissues extremely damaged, while the bones looked as if they had been sawed.

Dr. Sahbani, a surgeon who has dealt with dozens of similar cases at Al-Shifa Hospital, said that the marks and wounds on the bodies of the martyred and injured confirm the use of DIMEs by the "Israeli" army. "The "Israeli" army indeed used DIME weapons, as some bodies arrived at the hospital amputated with a distinct smell. We have dealt with wounds that can't be healed," he added.
Additionally, Dr. Sahbani said that, "The doctors are forced to amputate body parts of the wounded, as the treatment of these wounds is hard and sometimes threatens the life of the injured."

"In addition to the use of DIMEs, which we have proven, we have seen other indicators that prove the use of other lethal weapons that we have yet to identify. We received bodies with strange wounds, some of them charred while others were exposed to nail shrapnel. Some bodies even arrived at the hospital beheaded, and others have been crushed, as if a huge rock had fallen on them," he said.

Dr. Sahbani noted that he and other surgeons had never seen such injuries, noting that most of those hospitalized suffered from serious injuries, leading either to martyrdom or to permanent disabilities.

The Convention on Prohibitions or Restrictions on the Use of Certain Conventional Weapons, ratified by the UN General Assembly in October 1980, prohibits "the employment in armed conflicts of weapons, projectiles and material and methods of warfare of a nature to cause superfluous injury or unnecessary suffering."

Furthermore, the director of the Euro-Mediterranean Human Rights Network, Rami Abdo, told Al-Monitor that, "Based on doctors' testimonies on the use of DIME weapons, the wounds found on the bodies of martyrs and injured confirm that the use of this weapon, particularly in areas teeming with civilians, contradicts Article 32 of the Fourth Geneva Convention," noting, "Article 147 of the convention considers these acts a serious violation."

Article 32 of the Geneva Convention prohibits "taking any measure of such a character as to cause the physical suffering or extermination of protected persons in [the hands of parties to the conflict]."

Hence, Abbas noted that efforts are being exerted to prove the usage of other weapons during the aggression on seized Gaza, saying that, "The medical staff is currently conducting several laboratory tests on samples from the bodies of the martyrs to discover the other types of lethal weapons used against them, calling on the UN to form a fact-finding committee regarding "Israel's" use of these banned weapons and munitions."

Source: News Agencies, Edited by website team