Foreign doctors who have volunteered in Gaza say they have treated more than 100 children shot in the head or chest, clear evidence, they argue, that Israel is deliberately targeting minors.

In testimonies collected by the Dutch daily Volkskrant, 15 out of 17 doctors described encountering children under 15 with single bullet wounds to the head or chest. Together, they identified 114 such cases during their missions in Gaza. Many of the children died while others survived with devastating injuries.

“This is not crossfire. These are war crimes,” American emergency physician Mimi Syed told Volkskrant. She documented 18 children shot in the head or chest.

California trauma surgeon Feroze Sidhwa told the paper he initially assumed the cases were isolated until he encountered multiple boys in one hospital, all shot directly in the head. Later, when he compared notes with other international doctors, he realised it was widespread. “This is targeted fire. Someone is pulling a trigger on a child,” he said.

Forensic pathologists consulted by Volkskrant reviewed X-rays and confirmed the wounds were consistent with long-range sniper or drone fire, not shrapnel from explosions. Former Dutch army commander Mart de Kruif said the sheer number of children shot in the head or chest made the claim of “accidents” implausible.

“This is not collateral damage. It is intentional,” he said.