Confirmed: Israel Purposely Cripples, Maims Thousands To Overflow Gaza Hospitals

Independent news releases from TRT World and BBC reports both support this author’s January 3, paper: “Israelis Shoots to Cripple and Maim in Gaza.” Both pointed out that Israeli snipers shoot largely unarmed Palestinians at will, from such point-blank range that the shooter, if competent, can choose whether each victim is to be wounded or killed. It is now clear to any reasonable observer the Israelis now shoot to cripple, at the most vulnerable and slow to heal lower leg. This authors observation is based, in part, on his own experience as a military, competitive rifle marksman.  I ask, is this a humane act by Israel, or a scheme to keep Palestinians alive, or to keep the world from counting the murdered, while flooding Gaza’s health care system?
A look at the kill/wound ratios reveal in a 2014 BBC reported, “The human cost of the summer conflict with Israel was brutal: 2,104 Palestinians were killed and more than 10,000 people were injured in the small territory, and the chronically under-resourced el- Shifa Hospital stretched to the brink in its response. Some casualties lay on plastic sheets on the floor, IV drips dangling above their heads.”
“No hospital on earth is designed to cope with such a large and sudden influx of trauma like that. But if they had the procedures and protocol we have in London, they may be able to cope in such an emergency,” Dr. Simon said (from “A War Within a War: The battles fought by Gaza’s medics,” BBC News, Gaza City, 10 October 2014). In this story the BBC revealed the impossible conditions in the Gaza Hospitals in 2014.  Now, it is worse. We reference it only to show that conditions were impossible before the current wave of lower leg wounds that are swamping Gaza’s six or eight remaining hospitals. These, without even enough water or electricity, are trying to provide health services for 1.9 million human inhabitants of Gaza.
Israel is now faced with increasing worldwide criticism for the Gaza genocide. Its new tactic seems to have adopted what can be described as, “Maim and Mutilate but Leave the Body Alive,” (MMLBA). This tactic is apparent from the numbers. It produces a declining death count, with the enormous increase in horrible leg wounds that can, and will, literally cripple many for life, and a corresponding drop in reported Israeli sniper kills. Moreover, MMLBA destroys the ability of Gaza hospitals to function for its civilian population!
Israel has long been accused of using the expanding type of bullets that rip huge holes in flesh and virtually explode when bone it contacted. We once called them “hollow points”. Some had a soft led tip over a brass projectile. In one recent incident, the BBC reported that 25 were severely wounded, mostly with lower leg wounds, and one woman was killed with a head shot. One Israeli sniper forgot to shoot low.
Israel’s military does not shoot only legs and feet by chance.  It’s snipers can only be be acting under orders to “MMLBA.”  Instances of wounded Palestinians in Gaza hardly make the US press, even though the numbers appear to be in the 10s of thousands. We only keep count of dead. So, Israel has slowed down killing!
On January 17, a BBC film was featured on Colorado PBS station Chanel 6, in Denver, showing footage taken in a Gaza hospital. Dozens of a fresh, leg-shot Palestinians youths were photographed with various massive and primitive leg splints and some recent wounds seeping blood. The BBC host stated that the wounded had flooded the hospital and were virtually all shot in the lower leg. I personally witnessed the broadcast. But strangely, this PBS film became unavailable a day later, removed from both the local channel, (PBS 6) and on BBC. We are appealing to PBS to make it available. We did find a similar report from BBC-Hindi, “Hospitals in Gaza are in distress because of Israel,” embedded below. Fortunately, the same day, the TRT World, (Turkey) released a similar video from a Gaza hospital showing dozens of leg shot young men, in various stages of recovery from leg wounds. The doctors again were quoted stated most patients had been deliberately shot in the legs. The TRT World report, “Israel-Palestine Tensions: UN: No justification for Gaza killings” on Jan 17, appears to  corroborates Israel shooting to cripple and maim. Please watch it below and share it with others. Also, a 2016 article, “Is the IDF Conducting a Kneecapping Campaign in the West Bank,” in the Israeli newspaper, Haaretz, corroborates the apparent Israeli “Shoot to Maim” policy.
Charles E. Carlson
TRT World report, “Israel-Palestine Tensions: UN: No justification for Gaza killings”

BBC Hindi report: