By Fayha Shalash – Ramallah

The Israeli army’s increasing use of explosive bullets on Palestinians, despite being banned internationally, is leaving a devastating toll on civilians in the occupied West Bank.

Muhammad Hoshieh, 12, was heading to the stadium next to his house in the city of Ramallah when he was suddenly surprised by Israeli military vehicles that stormed the Umm Al-Sharayet neighborhood in broad daylight on June 14.

He tried to retreat a little, but an Israeli soldier shot him with an explosive bullet that lodged in his stomach, causing him to fall to the ground. Instead of treating him, the vehicle remained in the middle of the street, preventing anyone from helping him.

Increasingly, Israel has begun to intensify the use of this type of bullet, which is banned internationally due to the serious damage it causes to the body, leading to severe injuries and death in many cases.

This type of bullet is known among Palestinians as the “iron butterfly” or “blade weapon” because the bullet enters the body and then opens inside it, with its iron wings causing severe damage to everything they touch.

‘Cowboy Method’ – Netanyahu and Smotrich’s Annexation Strategy

Iron Wings of Destruction

Hanin Hoshieh, Muhammad’s mother, told the Palestine Chronicle that her son remained lying on the ground for more than 40 minutes before a neighbor was able to take him to the hospital, due to the continued presence of the Israeli army in the area.

“I wasn’t able to go to the hospital to check on him because of the ongoing Israeli raids. I learned from his father that he had been shot in the abdomen. I was a little reassured, not knowing that it was an explosive bullet that would destroy his body,” she said.

At 7 pm, Muhammad underwent surgery, during which he received ten units of blood due to severe bleeding. The operation ended at midnight, just as his mother was able to reach the hospital.

The doctor came out and told his parents that he was in critical condition, and that the bullet had damaged the pancreas, spleen, liver, and the main artery of the heart, which doctors had tried to repair, but to no avail.

‘Held in a Grave’ – Khalida Jarrar Reveals Deadly Detention Conditions

What is striking is that Muhammad didn’t bleed at all while lying on the ground.

The doctor explained that this bullet creates a very small hole where it enters, and then opens its sharp iron blades to destroy everything in front of it. If it exits the body, it creates a large hole.

Muhammad spent eight days in intensive care before he died from his wounds, bidding farewell to his childhood and family.

This type of bullet also causes damage and fragmentation in the bones, and injuries to the arteries and muscles in the same area of the fracture.

The bones may need up to three months to heal, in the absence of complications such as inflammation, non-healing, or delay.

From Confiscation to Sovereignty – The ‘Third Step’ in Israel’s Annexation Strategy

Unimaginable Damage

There are two types of explosive bullets: ‘Toto’, which is fired from a special rifle called Ruger, and ‘Dumdum’. Both explode when they collide with the body, turning into fragments inside, causing severe injuries.

According to the Israeli human rights organization B’Tselem, there is widespread use of ‘Toto’ bullets by the Israeli army to disperse Palestinian demonstrators, even though they don’t pose a threat to the army, and despite the army’s denial of their use.

The organization has expressed in one of its reports Israel’s blatant disregard for the lives, bodies, and safety of Palestinians.

Abdul Rahman Hassan is still suffering from an explosive bullet wound he sustained 20 years ago.

He was 16 at the time and was with his friends near the northern entrance to the city of Bethlehem when an Israeli soldier opened fire on him, wounding him in the head.

The bullet caused severe bleeding even though it didn’t lodge in the head. He was taken to the hospital and suffered a laceration in the sensitive temple area.

‘Bypass Roads’ – How Israel Seizes Land, Isolates Palestinian Towns

“I stayed in treatment for a full month in the hospital, and then I started to recover,” Hassan told the Palestine Chronicle.

“But until now, I suffer from pain at the site of the injury in the cold. I have to wear a hat all day in the winter, even when I sleep, to protect the site of the injury from pain,” he told us.

The explosive bullet that injured Hassan, according to what doctors described to him, was twice the size of a regular bullet and usually contains a small explosive bomb inside it, which penetrates the body and then explodes.

The danger of this type of bullet is that it tears tissue, veins, and muscles, causing the amputation of the organ it hits.

The doctor told Hassan that he had been very lucky because those who are hit in the head by such a bullet generally die immediately or from heavy bleeding.

Israeli snipers focus on the upper sides when targeting Palestinians during demonstrations with this type of bullet. They also add depleted uranium to it to make the bullet more lethal, damaging, and penetrating.

The Israeli Settlers and Their Stones – The Daily Journey of Palestinian Students in West Bank

Unpunished Brutality

Omar Rahhal, Director of the Shams Center for Human Rights, told The Palestine Chronicle that the Israeli army has been experimenting with various types of weapons on Palestinians over the past two decades. Initially, it used rubber bullets, followed by plastic bullets, and now explosive bullets.

Israel continues to disregard international law that prohibits the use of such weapons, largely because it evades punishment with the protection of the United States, which consistently uses its veto power in the United Nations Security Council, Rahhal explained.

He added that the international community has never reached Chapter Seven of the United Nations Charter, which allows for sanctions such as economic and trade measures. Instead, all Security Council decisions have been based on Chapter Six, which only provides recommendations.

“The failure to prosecute officers, soldiers, and politicians before international criminal courts or international judiciary is one of the reasons why Israel uses this internationally banned weapon,” he added.

(The Palestine Chronicle)