An innovative ultrasound examination has shown signs of 1,537 defects at the aging aluminum core of the Dimona nuclear reactor, according to study findings released at a scientific forum held in Tel Aviv this month.

Fears for the condition of the reactor were palpable at the conference.

Israel received its nuclear reactor from France at the end of the 1950s and it was put into operation for the first time at the end of 1963. Such reactors are intended to be operational for about 40 years, to ensure they remain in one piece.

The main problem with aging reactors is that the core is irreplaceable. The core, which houses the fuel rods where nuclear fission takes place, absorbs a great deal of heat and radiation. These damage it over the years, raising many questions as to its ability to continue to operate.

But the Palestinian experts have warned of the phenomenon of high incidence of cancer in the southern areas of al-Khalil city, prompting some to ask the international community to put the Zionist's nuclear status under international supervision.

Israel is not a signatory to the Non-Proliferation Treaty (NTP) of Nuclear Weapons, and is therefore not under the monitoring of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) which violates the international law.

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