A rubber bullet injured Tayseer Sandouka in his eye and causes him to lose sight
Within the daily follow-up with the Israeli forces’ assaults against Jerusalemites during the clashes following the Martyrdom of the child Mohammad Abu Khdeir, the Center interviewed the brother of Tayseer Sandouka who lost sight in his left eye during the funeral of the Martyr after the Israeli forces attacked the participants with sound grenades and rubber bullets. Tayseer Sandouka has been in Hadassah Ein Kerem Hospital since last Friday as he was directly hit with a rubber bullet in his eye and was then transferred to Al-Maqased Hospital and then onto the Eyes Hospital in Sheikh Jarrah and was then transferred to Hadassah Ein Kerem hospital due the seriousness of his injury. Tayseer’s brother, Ammar, explained that the doctors conducted a surgery for his brother that lasted for six hours in order to stop the bleeding and save his retina. He also said that a second operation will be conducted for the treatment of corneal transplant and torn retina. Ammar explained that his brother Tayseer does not see with his right eye since he was young. Tayseer said that he would sue the Israeli forces which used excessive force during the funeral and deliberately fired grenades and rubber bullets towards the higher parts of the bodies (eyes and head). Tayseer also explained that the media attempted to enter the hospital to interview him and take pictures but the guards prevented them. When the media managed to enter, the hospital’s administration quickly arrived and verbal altercations broke out between both sides and then prevented them from recording or photographing anything. He added: “there is no law that prohibits me to participate in a funeral, and I was injured during walking in the funeral. What rights do they have to take away my sight?” Tayseer said:” I live in Shu’fat near the Martyr’s house and I am used to going to the Mosque to pray. After the Friday Noon Prayer, everybody gathered near the Mosque and waited for the Martyr’s body to arrive. Upon arrival, I walked in the funeral on our way o the cemetery and we were surprised to find the Special Forces surrounding the funeral.” Tayseer sent a message to the human rights and international institutions and the free world in which he said: “I am a Jerusalemite who has a family that already suffers the suffering of all Jerusalemite families. While participating in the funeral of the Martyr Mohammad Abu Khdeir, the Israeli forces fired bullets that directly hit my eye, and only if you know which eye it hit??? It hit my good eye. I am already half blind and only see with one eye and they just took it away from and prevented me from seeing my children and friends as well as preventing me from moving freely and seeing those words that you reading.”
