Home · Articles · Testimonies
26 years old critically wounded in Bil'in
June 14, 2008
Source : AATW
This week, nearing the end of the weekly demonstration against the wall in Bil’in, soldiers opened fire on Ibrahim Bornat using live ammunition, hitting his right thigh. Ibrahim is son to Intessar and Wageeh and brother to Rani who was himself shot by an Israeli sniper eight years ago at a demonstration in Ramallah. The shot left him paralyzed from the neck down.
Ibrahim, a regular participant in the Bil’in demonstrations for the past three years, had already been injured numerous times, but this is the most serious one yet. The bullets that pierced his leg had ripped an artery and a vain and caused local nerve damage, of which the long term implications are still not clear. Another demonstrator, an Israeli was shot in the chest with a rubber coated metal bullet
Resulting from the massive blood loss, Ibrahim was brought to the hospital unconscious and in critical condition. He was operated on for several hours, but still has no feeling in his right leg, at least temporarily.
During the operation Ibrahim was given numerous blood transfusions that saved his life, but he is still in constant need of AB+ blood transfusions at large quantities and have already received 11 counts. Recipients of AB+ blood type can usually receive from any blood donor, but due to Ibrahim’s harsh condition the doctors prefer the transfusions to be of the original blood type only.
The israeli army’s only replay to the media regarding the shooting was that Ibrahim was trying to cut the fence (a false claim, as can be seen in the video), and that the army will not allow that. What the Army spokesperson forgot to mention was that even the court of the occupation, the Israeli Supreme Court, had rulled that the path of the wall in Bil’in is illegal and should be dismantled, and that the army is simply ignoring the order.
The army often use live ammunition against protesters damaging the fence, as in the famous December 2003 case of Gil Naamti
Those in Ramallah area can donate blood for Ibrahim, please call Sarah at 0523991897
Video
