Weepy story about accurate fire from IDF snipers. Play stupid games, win stoopid prizes. Maybe they should go for head shots, WaPo?If they shot them in their heads they wouldn't require amputation, would they? Some people are never happy.
[Jeff Bezos' WaPo] Mohammad "Peg" al-Ajouri is a lanky teenager who
But last month, while participating in a protest along Gaza's border, he was struck by a bullet fired by an Israeli soldier. It penetrated his calf, shattering his leg before exiting the shin. Doctors tried to save the limb, but an infection soon spread. The leg had to be amputated.
During the past month of demonstrations along the border between Gaza and Israel, at least 17 Palestinians have suffered gunshot wounds that ultimately cost them their legs, according to the Palestinian Health Ministry in Gaza.
In at least three of the cases, Israeli authorities rejected the transfer of wounded Gazans to the West Bank, where they could receive medical care that might have saved their limbs, according to lawyers and one of the patients' families.
Since the protests began, Israeli troops have killed 43 Palestinians and wounded more than 3,500 with live ammunition, rubber bullets or shrapnel, the Health Ministry said. Of those, about 2,200 have suffered injuries to the legs.
Israeli officials say the protests along the border fence are violent and provide cover for militant attacks. Israeli media report that troops have been ordered to initially fire warning shots at demonstrators, after which they should target protesters' legs.
"IDF troops act according to clear rules of engagement that are tailored to the scenarios they are contending with," a spokesman for the Israel Defense Forces said. The spokesman declined to detail those rules but said live fire is a last resort.