Snapped Shot

Reports are coming across the wires that a "protestor" has been killed, and another handful injured at the Karni crossing in Israel. Details aren't fully clear yet, but the other protesters were carrying around this body, and I saw a couple of others carried across in a traditional Palestinian "rush." What's interesting, though, is this photograph, which purports to hold someone who was injured by the IDF. Here's a close crop of the injury, from three different shots:



The Associated Press plays the middle of the road, stating merely that, "Palestinians run with a boy after he was wounded during a Hamas demonstration." Agence France-Presse, on the other hand, lays the accusation directly at Israel's feet, stating conclusively that, "Palestinians protestors carry a boy who was wounded by Israeli military gunfire during a demonstration."

But to my untrained eye, that sure looks like more of a cut than it does a bullet wound. Is there anyone out there that knows combat medicine who could definitively say either way? Could something like this be caused by a rubber bullet? A tear-gas grenade? A rock?

Considering that the Palestinians were in the middle of their traditional violent pursuit, it's looking more to me like they fired upon their own, and then trotted the injured and dead in front of the cameras for maximum Israel-blaming effect. I mean, it's not like they haven't done that before, right?

As an aside, I won't contend that the man being carried about at the top of the page is pretty conclusively dead, but I do find it interesting that his shirt's bloody, but there's not much sign of injury.

If you want, you can view the full photo feed here. I'd love to hear what you think about the evidence.

Update: Another question—When carrying the seriously wounded, is it customary in the Palestinian territories to grin like the Cheshire cat?

Update 2: While the caption to this photograph reads:

Palestinians protestors carry a youth who was wounded by Israeli military gunfire during a demonstration against the siege on the Gaza Strip on May 22, 2008 at Karni Crossing, between Israel and Gaza. One Palestinian was killed and 17 injured today when Israeli troops fired at protesters in Gaza who demonstrated against the crippling blockade of the territory, some hurling rocks, medics and witnesses said. AFP PHOTO/MAHMUD HAMS (Photo credit should read MAHMUD HAMS/AFP/Getty Images)

... I think it's far more likely that the injury over his ear was caused by something more like this, frankly.

The AFP is being completely dishonest here, before all of the facts from on the ground have been sorted out. Here's our "IDF-injured" boy in the ambulance.

Update 3: As with most of these events, this protest was carefully coordinated by Hamas. Any chance that Hamas set this up knowing that people would get injured ahead of time? If so, that means that this article's gonna be moving into the "Human Shields" category, and soon.

Palestinian Islamic Hamas movement on Thursday called on its supporters to join a rally in eastern Gaza City near an Israeli commercial crossing in protest against the embargo imposed by Israel one year ago.

Hamas made the call through mosques, saying the people should gather in Gaza City's mosques at Thursday noon prayer before making their way to the Karni crossing.

The mosque-terrorist axis strikes again? The telling quote:

"The people have run out of patience and they have decided to break the siege with any means, even if the cost was their lives," said Ashraf Abu Dayya, a Hamas spokesman.

Yeah, I'm thinking Hamas set this up to be a sacrificial protest way ahead of time. Which means that it can't be discounted that Hamas bullets and stones were responsible for these photos.

"Human Shields" it is.

Update 4: And thus, the crocodile tears are beginning to flow forth.

This is oddly reminiscent of a previous "disaster," in which civilians were killed after answering Hamas' call to serve as human shields in front of a group of terrorists hiding from the IDF inside of a mosque.