Israeli forces kill Palestinian children in Gaza and West Bank

Israeli troops shot and killed three‑year‑old Rayan Abu al‑Ajeen on a family farm in Deir el‑Balah, Gaza Strip, after his father, Bahaa, was also wounded. The boy’s grandfather, Jaber Abu al‑Ajeen, told Al Jazeera that a bullet entered Rayan’s head and exited through his eye.

In the occupied West Bank, Israeli forces also shot seven‑month‑old Sam Fahd Abu Haikal in the face while his family was traveling near Hebron, an incident later contradicted by video evidence that challenged the Israeli claim that the vehicle was accelerating toward soldiers.

Both deaths add to a series of civilian casualties reported since the October ceasefire, with Israeli attacks killing nearly 1,000 Palestinians in Gaza and thousands overall since the conflict began in October 2023.