“"IDF plays a game of target practice — young boys targeted in the testicles"”
This headline restates a British surgeon's allegation as established fact. Dr. Nick Maynard said four teenage boys shot in the testicles arrived on one day and that injuries clustered by body part on certain days; it "seemed to us" like "almost like a game of target practice." The injuries are his unverified eyewitness account, deliberateness is his inference, no records of the pattern have been published, and the IDF "categorically rejects" the claims.
What was claimed: An Instagram reel by Naz put the headline "IDF plays a game of target practice — Young boys targeted in the testicles" over a Sky News interview with surgeon Nick Maynard.
What he said: Four teenage boys shot in the testicles arrived on one day, "deliberately so"; injuries clustered by body part on different days; and "it seemed to us like this was almost like a game of target practice."
What we found: Shootings near Gaza aid sites in mid-2025 are widely documented. The specific clustering pattern rests on testimony from Maynard and some other foreign doctors; no patient records or independent investigation have been published. Deliberate targeting is his inference. The IDF told Sky News it "categorically rejects the claims of intentional harm to civilians, particularly in the manner described," and that casualties at aid sites were under examination.
Why "needs context": The headline turns a surgeon's hedged impression into a statement of fact and omits Israel's response. It is an unverified allegation, not a proven one. Full review: the reel and what he said.
Scale and intent — side by side
October 7 (Hamas): about 770–840 civilians killed in one day. Intent to kill civilians is documented — in Hamas's written orders ("kill as many people as possible"), its fighters' own footage, and its leaders' statements.
Gaza (Israel): civilian deaths in the tens of thousands over two years (the civilian share is disputed, roughly 60% to 83%). Israel's stated aim is to destroy Hamas; warnings and large aid volumes are documented, and several incidents have been acknowledged by the IDF as errors. Intent to kill civilians is alleged, and has not been established by any court.
Both facts matter, and neither cancels the other. Every party's alleged crimes, on one scale: War Crimes Ledger.
Sources & References
- › Naz (Instagram): "British surgeon Dr Nick Maynard, who has visited Gaza 15 times provides MORE evidence of Israel's war crimes," July 25, 2025
- › Sky News: "British surgeon claims IDF shooting Gazans in specific areas - 'almost like a game of target practice'," July 25, 2025 (archived)
- › Al Jazeera: "Gaza doctor describes 'daily patterns' in Israeli maiming at GHF sites," August 13, 2025