114 Palestinian Children Sustained Single Gunshot Wounds to Head/Chest, Doctors Report

A new investigation by the Dutch newspaper De Volkskrant has revealed that 15 international doctors reported treating at least 114 Palestinian children, aged 15 or younger, with single gunshot wounds to the head or chest in Gaza. These devastating injuries, documented between late 2023 and mid-2025 across multiple medical facilities, were found to be consistent with aimed fire, according to forensic experts consulted by the newspaper. The findings raise profound concerns about deliberate targeting amidst the ongoing conflict.

The medical professionals, hailing from countries including the US, UK, and Australia, observed a disturbing pattern where the majority of these young victims succumbed to their injuries. American trauma surgeon Feroze Sidhwa recounted his experience at the European Hospital in March 2024, where he encountered four boys under 10 with identical head wounds within a 48-hour period. "How is it possible that here in this small hospital, within 48 hours, four children have come in who were shot in the head?" he told the paper, a pattern later corroborated by other colleagues.

Forensic pathologists Wim Van de Voorde and Frank van de Goot, after reviewing images, confirmed the injuries were caused by bullets, not shrapnel, and suggested "long-distance shots aimed at the head and/or neck using military-grade ammunition." Many doctors expressed a moral obligation to speak out, despite fears that public testimony could jeopardize their ability to return to Gaza, a risk highlighted by the UN's report of over 100 international health workers denied entry since March 2025.

The Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) have consistently denied allegations of deliberately targeting civilians. In response to claims of aid confiscation, the IDF stated such assertions are "entirely incorrect" and affirmed their efforts to facilitate humanitarian aid, noting that "approximately 5,000 tons of infant formula alone have been transferred into the Gaza Strip" since May 2025. However, doctors detailed significant challenges in securing essential medical supplies.

The De Volkskrant investigation also highlighted other disturbing patterns, including injuries from tiny, cube- or cylinder-shaped metal fragments consistent with fragmentation weapons, which the IDF denies possessing or deploying. Furthermore, doctors reported a pattern of civilians, including children, being shot at food distribution points, with some Israeli soldiers anonymously admitting to firing on groups and referring to such locations as a "killing field" or a "game," according to reports in the Israeli newspaper Haaretz.