Ruger - Documented Victims
Some of the Victims
Below find facts about the 32 Palestinians shot dead with Rugers and the approximately 240 who were injured by Ruger .22's during the period 2008 until the start of August 2021. These are only the ones we know from Israeli sources like Haaretz and B'Tselem.
On Nov 7 2021 Haaretz published an article saying 8 had been killed by Rugers during crowd control incidents in the West Bank in 2021. That's one more than we've been able to document. Source The article also confirms that Rugers are used against Palestinians in Gaza.
Rugers used in "clash" at wall around Gaza says times of Israel 8-22-21 Source
Emad Dweikat, 37 on August 6, 2021 . He had four daughters and an infant son. He was killed near Beita in the West Bank. He was participating in a protest march. Source
Mohammad Munir Tamimi, shot in the back, July 24 2021 Source and Source
4 killed in Beita in May 2021. Source
On May 14, 2021 a 15 year-old was wounded in Lod. "Police say he was hit in the legs and lightly wounded. Police use a 22-caliber Ruger sniper rifle." Source
14 wounded in Nabi Saleh in May 2021 according to Bilal Tamimi Source
May 12 in Al-Fawwar refugee camp, near Hebron Hussein Al Titi shot dead Source
One victim was an Israeli Jew. He was a soldier shot by accident on February 27, 2021 by an IDF commander. His name was Yonatan Granot. Note the article in the Times of Israel says, "Granot was struck by a .22-caliber round for a Ruger rifle, a type of munition normally used for riot dispersal" Source Though the training was in the Jordan Valley the unit was preparing to be able to shoot people in the Gaza Strip. "According to the sources in the division, Ruger type weapons - one of them shot was fired, killing Granot - were transferred to the Gaza Division Nahal Brigade as part of training, preparation" The article makes plain that Rugers were used at the fence surrounding the Gaza Strip. Source
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Ali Abu Alia of al-Mughayyir was shot dead on the day of his 15th birthday on Dec. 4, 2020
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Haaretz senior journalist Amira Hass writes 12/7/2020, "the two-two [nickname for the Ruger that fires .22 bullets] is an integral part of the methods for suppressing Palestinian demonstrations. And in the name of women’s liberation and equality, more Israeli women are eager to participate." Earlier in the article she wrote, "Suddenly a single shot was heard. In the video, one of the young men who was waving a slingshot is seen bending over suddenly and grabbing his shin. The bullet had hit him." Source
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About 20 construction workers were shot over a two month period at the end of 2019. " All are construction workers living in the northern West Bank, and seem to have been shot with Ruger precision rifles. " Source
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A nameless "little girl". Here's a quote from an Israeli sniper (no longer on active duty).
"I know someone who took aim at one of the leaders of a demonstration, who was standing on a box and urging the people to keep marching ahead. The soldier aimed at his leg, but at the last moment the man moved and the bullet missed him. Instead, he hit a little girl, who was killed on the spot." Source
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Moath Amarneh, a photojournalist, lost his left eye as a result of a bullet striking near him and creating shrapnel in November 2019. Source
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Sabaa ‘Obeid, age 22 shot dead in 2017 during a demonstration in which he threw stones. He was shot from 80 meters away (near the length of a football field). Source Source
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Some in Dura were hit by "live fire" from Rugers July 6, 2016 Source
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Palestinian policeman Yazan Laham July 28, 2016 "they let him and his friends return to the jeep. He was walking toward the jeep, 10 meters (32 feet) away, and was then shot in the left leg. He didn’t see who shot him, but it was with a Ruger rifle" Also in August 2016 "18-year-old Mohammed Abu Hashash was also killed by the same method [ a Ruger] in Al-Fawwar. " The same article has this statement by Haaretz journalist Amira Haas, " There must be more than 100 people across the West Bank, including many minors, who have been crippled by the IDF over the last year. " Source
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September 2016 Mohammed Amassi shot several times while holding his cell phone while standing on his roof. Source
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2015 - " In 2015, 14 Palestinians were killed in the West Bank by Ruger fire. " - from a 6/30/21 article by Hagar Shezaf in Haaretz Source
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The death of Abed a-Rahman Abdallah from a .22 bullet shot by a Ruger was ruled "unintentional" in a preliminary investigation by the IDF. October 2015 Source
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A 13-year-old boy named Rahman Shadi Obeidallah was shot dead by a Ruger in Bethlehem in October 2015. He had been standing over 200 feet away from clashes. Source
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Ali Mahmoud 'Abd a-Rahman Safi killed in March 2015 Jalazun Refugee Camp, Ramallah District
He was 20. Source
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A eleven year-old child, Muhammad Hamad, was seriously injured with a bullet to his stomach. He had to be operated on for 3 hours.
Manal Tamimi, 41 in April 2015 was shot in the leg. B'tselem says she was not throwing stones.
S.A. 16, was injured in el-Bireh, Ramallh District He was entering a school to pick up his cousins who were 7 and 8 in May 2015 when he was shot in the leg.
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In June 2015 " Medical reports collected from Palestinian hospitals by B’Tselem field researcher Iyad Hadad indicate that at least 47 Palestinians – including one woman and 24 minors – were injured by live fire in the West Bank since the beginning of February 2015"
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In February 2015 Israeli General Tamir Yadai, “I don’t want to say that we changed the rules of engagement, but we became a bit harsh with the people around here; in places where we’d fire [tear] gas or rubber [bullets] in the past, now we fire Ruger [bullets], and sometimes live [bullets]. If I remember the numbers correctly, we’ve had something like 25 people hurt here in the last three weeks.” Yadai was responding to settlers who said the soldiers weren't tough enough in treatment of Palestinians. Source
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Unnamed youth shot near the crotch during demonstration against the wall in Naalin. December 2009
One of the protesters, Yonatan Polk, said he was standing next to the demonstrator that was shot. "The guy was standing between 50 and 70 meters away from the soldiers, with two barbed-wire fences between them, Source
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"Nevertheless, the IDF reverted to using the Ruger against protesters in 2009, killing a teenager in Hebron in February and a protester in Nial’in in June." Source
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On January 28, 2008, Kusai al-Afrandi, age 17, was killed in Bethlehem
on 29 July 2008, Ahmad Musa, age 10, was killed in Ni’lin
on 28 December 2008 Mohammed Khawaje, age 20 (and Mohammed Hamid, age 22)
on 13 February 2009, Izzedine al-Jamal, age 14, was killed in Hebron
on 5 June 2009, Yusuf Aqel Srour, age 36 in Ni’lin (28 other than Srour were injured by 0.22” bullets in Ni’lin alone)
B’stelem claims to have documented injuries from these weapons in Ni’lin, Bil’in, Jayyus, Bitunya, and Budrus, including at least one foreign national Source for all these Killings
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Undocumented Victims
In the Great March of Return over 36,000 Palestinians of Gaza were wounded. The UN estimates 22% of them were hit with "live ammunition". These 8,000 people where injured by soldiers shooting at them from elevated positions over the barriers around Gaza. It's quite possible that most of the people shot were shot by Rugers. The article "42 Knees in One Day" in Ha'aretz documents that Rugers were used by snipers.