MORE than 100 bullet fragments were found lodged in the brain of a 10-year-old child wounded by Israeli forces on Friday, doctors have said. 

The boy, who was shot in the head during anti-settlement protests in the West Bank town of Kafr Qaddum, remains in a critical condition after surgery. 

Dr Othman Othman, who operated on Abdul Rahman Yasser Shteiwi for three-and-a-half hours, said that the bullet had been a live round.

This runs counter to claims made by the Israeli authorities, who insisted that no live bullets were fired as their forces dispersed protesters.

Dr Othman said: “He had a penetrating injury in the frontal lobe on the right side. The injury was severe and there are more than 100 fragments.

“This is not a rubber bullet, this is a metal bullet. A rubber bullet will not enter because it does not have a sharp head. This is something that had a sharp head.”

The boy was rushed to Rafidia hospital in Nablus soon after being shot and operated on immediately. 

A scan of Abdul’s brain showed that there were over 100 bullet fragments in his head.

Activists from monitoring and observation group the International Solidarity Movement (ISM) told the Star that they found a 5.56mm bullet case on the ground where protesters had been standing just 15 minutes before.

The case was hot to touch, activists said, suggesting that it had been fired recently. Dozens more bullet cases were found by villagers following the protest.

“This injury is a severe traumatic brain injury. He is in a critical condition and there is a lot of blood in his brain,” Dr Othman added. “We can’t yet say what is the real injury to the brain.”

Kafr Qaddum popular resistance committee leader Murad Shtaiwi said: “I don’t have words to explain the sadness I feel.

“The army is making a very big mistake if they think that what they did today will make demonstrations decrease.”

Protests against Israel’s illegal settlement programme have taken place in the town every week for the past nine years.

Despite United Nations resolutions and widespread international condemnation, Tel Aviv has continued building in the occupied territories. 

An estimated 622,670 settlers live in the West Bank.

ISM reported that potentially lethal rubber-coated steel bullets were also fired on Friday at the crowds, as were sound bombs. 

At least two people were wounded by rubber bullets, including a child who was shot in the arm.

Mr Shtaiwi added: “I want to send a message to all the international community — if you care about the rights of children, come and protect them and share what happened today with the rest of the world.”

Israel faces war crimes investigations for its response to last year’s Great March of Return protests. Snipers shot dead 183 unarmed civilians, including medics and journalists, and wounded more than 6,000.