Study: Injury Patterns Suggest Israel Targets Civilians in Gaza as Combatants

September 26, 2025 | 09:34 pm

TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - Palestinian civilians in Gaza are suffering injuries akin to those sustained by trained soldiers as a result of Israeli explosive devices and military gunfire, reported the British Medical Journal, citing frontline medical personnel as quoted by Anadolu on Friday, September 26, 2025.

A new analysis published in the British Medical Journal (BMJ) concluded that the nature of injuries sustained by Palestinians in Gaza reflects typical injuries experienced by trained soldiers, raising serious questions about Israeli conduct in the conflict.

The study, conducted by a panel of 78 experienced field medics deployed between August 2024 and February 2025, warned that injuries among civilians were "unusually severe," indicating the use of ammunition designed for maximum tissue destruction.

In total, the panel documented 23,726 trauma-related injuries. Of these, 18 percent were burns, many of which were catastrophic: more than one in 10 burns reached fourth degree, which means damage penetrating all tissue layers down to the bone.

Children Bear Heavier Impact

The study found that children were particularly hard hit by these extreme burns.

Explosive weapons accounted for about two-thirds of all injuries, with major trauma inflicted on the head, chest, and limbs, they said.

The rest were caused by gunshot wounds.

The authors linked the extensive injuries across the body to what they termed "indiscriminate aerial and heavy explosive bombardment in civilian areas."

"Firsthand testimony from healthcare workers and victims in Gaza has been vindicated. These findings should ring alarm bells through the halls of government worldwide and the humanitarian community," said Dr. Victoria Rose, one of the study's authors.

The report noted 2,325 injuries from firearms, disproportionately affecting limbs and major blood vessels.

In many cases, limited surgical resources made amputation the only viable option. Firearms accounted for about 30 percent of war-related trauma, consistent with patterns seen in the Syrian civil war, where civilians were also targeted.

Nearly 4 in 10 patients with gunshot wounds were injured in one limb; over a quarter of those wounded in limb injury were affected on both sides. Nearly 10 percent of gunshot wound patients sustained head injuries.

Aid Blockade Exacerbates Conditions

"This shocking study blows the lid off Israel’s conduct in its genocide in Gaza. The high proportion of gunshot wounds to both limbs proves its military is shooting civilians to maim," said Dr. Nidal Jboor from the advocacy group Doctors Against Genocide.

Exacerbating conditions, the report highlighted how malnutrition—made worse by Israeli restrictions on humanitarian aid—further impeded recovery, leading to "delayed wound healing and preventable deaths from otherwise treatable conditions."

The 78 clinicians behind this research represent 22 NGOs in the UK, US, Canada, and the EU.

This journal article is believed to be the first to present systematic data driven by frontline doctors on injury patterns in the Gaza conflict.

Israeli forces have killed over 65,500 Palestinian civilians, mostly women and children, in Gaza since October 2023. Relentless bombings have rendered the enclave uninhabitable, and the complete Israeli blockade has caused starvation and the spread of diseases.

Editor’s Choice: At Least 65,502 Palestinians Killed in Gaza Since 2023, Health Ministry Reports

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