Quds city, July 31, SPA -- The Israeli military is to replace rubber bullets, which have caused dozens of fatalities, with a new sand bullet for riot control, the army said Sunday. The new sand bullets, which can be fired from a regular rifle, have already been used in the West Bank, according to a report of The Associated Press. The military maintained that the rubber-coated metal bullets were not deadly, but Palestinian protesters were often killed when the rubber bullets were fired from a too close range. The sand bullet, said to be extremely painful but less dangerous, was developed by Israel's prisons authority. The rubber bullets will be phased out of use, the army said.
