A Palestinian protester is on life support after a tear gas canister launched by an Israeli soldier hit him square in the face. The still-smoking canister got lodged in the man's cheek and had to be surgically removed.
A Reuters photographer snapped the moment after a tear gas canister caught Palestinian protester Haitham Abu Sabla in the face. The blood-chilling images show the man splattered with blood, with the canister embedded right next to his nose, with the tear gas still billowing out of it, as well as from the protester's mouth.
Abu Sabla was taken to a hospital, where the canister was surgically removed, and he was placed on life support. Abu Sabla is a regular attendant of the weekly protests at the Gaza-Israeli border, his brother told Reuters.
The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) has been cracking down on the months-long protests along the Gaza border, dubbed the Great March of Return by Palestinians, which were started to mark 70 years since thousands of Palestinian Arabs fled or were chased off their land to make way for the newly-established Israel. While IDF claims to act with surgical precision and accuses the protesters of being terrorists and Hamas puppets, over 120 of the protesters have been killed by the Israeli forces so far.
In the latest case, a 21-year-old female Gaza medic was shot and killed while giving first aid to wounded Palestinians. The IDF then posted a heavily-edited clip online, alleging she was "incited by Hamas" and was taking an active part in the rioting.