From 100 meters away, an IDF soldier shot a Palestinian boy in the head in the West Bank village of Kafr Qaddum. The bullet exploded into dozens of fragments in the child’s brain and he’s now in an induced coma.
Ahmad was a boxing champion-in-the-making. Israel had refused to let him exit Gaza to participate in international competitions. Now Ahmed is wheelchair-bound after Israeli soldiers shot him with exploding bullets in both legs during Great March of Return protests.
Razan Al-Najjar’s death by sniper last June was briefly newsworthy; she was briefly demonized by Israel, then the world forgot about her.
But the NYT chose to investigate, examining 1,000 photos and videos, interviewing experts and over 30 eyewitnesses, and piecing the event together using Israeli 3-D software.
The conclusion: the shooting should never have taken place – no one was endangering Israeli soldiers or the border, and medics were in plain view – and Israel has done little to decrease the frequency of these incidents.
Her death is at best reckless, at worst a war crime.
3 young men in Gaza: a surfer, a boxer, and a volleyball player, whose dreams were destroyed by snipers’ bullets as they stood watching or helping the injured at the Great March of Return.
Medical work in Gaza is impeded by the unmanageable number of wounded, the complex injuries that will require multiple follow-up procedures, and the shortage of supplies. Add to that the difficulty in getting permission for patients to seek medical attention outside the country – it adds up to an impossible situation.
Dr. Loubani, a Canadian physician, was apparently targeted and shot in both legs by Israeli snipers. He is among at least 17 paramedics injured; one was killed.
Doctors Without Borders teams in Gaza report “devastating injuries of an unusual severity” and likely “serious, long-term physical disabilities” for most victims. According to Gaza Health Ministry, Israel’s new bullets are “the deadliest” ever; they explode inside the victim’s body, “frequently resulting in death.”