Shot by Israeli troops while getting aid, a boy in Gaza fights for his life

Nimer Saddy al-Nimer, 12, was shot five times by Israel's military on April 1 while gathering food from aid dropped by parachute that landed in Beit Hanoun, in northern Gaza. Israeli soldiers took the boy into Israel for surgery, and, according to Nimer, placed him in a prison for four days while he recovered. He is now in a refugee camp in Rafah, in the southern Gaza Strip. (Anas Baba for NPR)

Editor's note: This story contains descriptions of violence.

RAFAH, Gaza Strip — Nimer Saddy al-Nimer is 12. His first name means "Tiger" in Arabic. Wavy locks of sandy brown hair rest just above his large brown eyes. He's skinny and tall for his age. He calls himself a "soccer addict," he's a fan of FC Barcelona, and Lionel Messi is his hero. He'd pretend to be the Argentine superstar when he played pickup games with his friends in the alleys behind the mosque near his home in the Sheikh Radwan neighborhood of Gaza City.