Mona Chalabi Instagram – Some soldiers are traumatized by what they have done. A sniper from an “elite” IDF unit describes aiming for the knee of a Palestinian protester but hitting too high and killing the man. A mental health worker said that the soldier “can’t forget the man’s screaming not to be left alone. He also remembers vividly the evacuation [of the body], and the women who wept over him. From then on, that’s all he thinks about and all he dreams about. He says, ‘I wasn’t sent to defend the state, I was sent to murder.’” A United Nations inquiry found that 80% of people wounded during protests in Gaza were shot by Israeli forces in the lower limbs. These protests, which began in 2018, were known as the Great March of Return. They called on Israeli authorities to lift an 11-year illegal blockade on Gaza and allow Palestinian refugees to return to their villages and towns. Over 6,000 protesters were struck by Israeli forces, many of them were left with permanent physical disabilities (Israeli authorities also routinely deny people exit permits for medical treatment outside of Gaza – only 17% of these applications were approved).  In total, 214 Palestinians, including 46 children, were killed during these protests, according to the UN. Just one Israeli soldier was prosecuted. It was for the killing of a 14-year-old boy during a demonstration. The killer was sentenced to one month in prison and a suspended prison sentence of two-months. There’s too much to say in just one post so I’ll share links in my stories, including to that really important Haaretz piece where I got the quotes about IDF snipers.