Medical Volunteers Report Pattern of Targeted Gunshot Wounds in Gaza Children

Former Royal Netherlands Army Commander Lt. Gen. Mart de Kruif, analyzing the medical evidence, stated that the high frequency of such specific wounds points to intentional fire. The investigation, published by the Dutch newspaper De Volkskrant, draws on testimony from volunteers representing five nations who worked across six Gazan hospitals since October 2023.

Dr. Mimi Syed, a US emergency physician, documented 18 cases of children suffering from single-shot head or chest wounds during her rotations at Nasser and al-Aqsa Martyrs hospitals. Her experience mirrors that of Dr. Feroze Sidhwa, a California trauma surgeon who reported seeing four young boys with identical head wounds within his first 48 hours at the European Hospital in March 2024. Sidhwa noted that such injuries are difficult to reconcile with the combat conditions of a war zone unless the targets were specifically identified.

While Israeli officials have denied allegations of deliberate targeting, these accounts align with previous findings by the BBC, which identified 95 similar cases among 160 children shot in Gaza. The cumulative testimony from the volunteer medical corps adds to a growing body of reports from the region, where humanitarian workers continue to struggle with the medical and psychological toll of treating injuries that suggest a systematic disregard for civilian safety.