Israel admits that live fire against Palestinian protestors has at times caused death when only serious injury was intended. Israeli snipers have killed 300 while gradually tweaking their limb-targeting approach. Now they “aim for the ankles,” likely only maiming the unarmed demonstrators. The Israeli Supreme Court has backed the lethal open-fire policy from day one.
Israeli human rights organization B’tselem discusses Israel’s “investigations” into killings of Palestinians, which have served no authentic purpose, but only created an illusion of inquiry. B’tselem calls on the international community to demand real accountability.
A new year brings Palestinians more injustice and tragedy, as Israeli soldiers shoot and tear gas unarmed protesters in Gaza, and shoot alleged attackers with liberality.
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.
Palestinians in Gaza are dealing with more fallout from the blockade – and their protest against it. Now in addition to thousands of gunshot wounds from Israeli snipers, and their accompanying disabilities and amputations, many are at risk of infection. The healthcare sector is lacking in supplies thanks to import restrictions; patients can not go abroad for treatment thanks to visa restrictions.
One Israeli human rights org reports over 180 Palestinians killed (31 of them minors) and 21,000 injured.
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.
1st half of 2018, 25 Palestinian children killed by Israeli forces – each posed no threat; Israeli Supreme Court stands behind the killings, which contravene intl law.
Self-scrutiny by Israel’s “world’s most moral army” reveals: Gazan demonstrators were shot as a result of ‘operational mishaps’ and not intentionally targeted.
Breaking the Silence spokesperson explains snipers’ open fire policy at the Gaza border: secret regulations enable shooters to target any Palestinian with impunity.