Family says Israeli fire killed 3-year-old on Gaza farm route
Rayan Abu al-Ajeen was shot in central Gaza while being carried by his father, who was also wounded, his family told Al Jazeera.
By James Whitfield · Staff Writer
2 min read
Israeli forces shot and killed a 3-year-old Palestinian boy in central Gaza as his father carried him toward the family’s farmland, the child’s family told Al Jazeera. The case adds to continuing reports of deadly Israeli fire in Gaza despite an October ceasefire.
Al Jazeera identified the child as Rayan Bahaa Abu al-Ajeen and reported that he was shot Sunday afternoon in Wadi al-Salqa, in Deir el-Balah governorate. His body was brought to Al-Aqsa Martyrs Hospital on Monday, according to the report.
The family said Rayan’s father, Bahaa Abu al-Ajeen, was shot in the leg and was being treated in hospital. Relatives told Al Jazeera that father and son had been traveling in an area outside the so-called “Yellow Line,” a boundary not under direct Israeli military control, and were going toward the family’s greenhouses when gunfire hit them.
Jaber Abu al-Ajeen, Rayan’s grandfather, told Al Jazeera he was at home beside the family farm when he heard shots. He said he then learned that his son Bahaa and another relative walking with him had been targeted, and later found out that Rayan had been killed.
Jaber told Al Jazeera that the child was struck in the head. He also said Rayan’s mother was devastated by the killing.
According to Jaber, Bahaa was taken into an area controlled by the Israeli army and remained bleeding for seven hours before being moved to a hospital. He told Al Jazeera the family remained worried about Bahaa’s condition because his leg injury was serious and he had lost blood for hours.
The Israeli military had not commented on the shooting, Al Jazeera reported.
Al Jazeera reported that Israeli forces have continued attacks in Gaza since the ceasefire, killing almost 1,000 Palestinians. It also reported that more than 73,000 Palestinians have been killed by Israel since the war began in October 2023.
Many of the deaths have occurred near the “Yellow Line,” according to Al Jazeera, which reported that Israel has continued to expand the area despite the terms of the ceasefire agreement.
Jaber told Al Jazeera the family had lived in the area for years and had remained cautious because of its proximity to the line. He said the family members were civilians who worked in agriculture and that their land lay outside the “Yellow Line.”
This story draws on original reporting from Al Jazeera.