CrossFireArabia
Three-year-old Rayan Bahaa Abu Al-Ajeen had no idea that returning home with his father from a family visit in east of Deir al-Balah would be his last journey.
On Sunday evening, the road home became the scene of another crime. A young child was shot in the head by Israeli forces while in the arms of his father. The wounded father was also detained by Israeli soldiers for hours before dumping next to his son’s body on a main road in the central Gaza Strip.
Journey Ending in Tragedy
According to his family, the father, 32-year-old Bahaa al-Din Jaber Abu Al-Ajeen was returning Sunday afternoon from visiting relatives in the Wadi al-Salqa area east of Deir al-Balah, accompanied by his son Rayan and his father-in-law Khaled Hassan Abu Gharaba; they were on their way to the Abu Al-Ajeen area east of the city.
Family relative Nawaf Abu al-Ajeen, said that Israeli soldiers stationed inside a house overlooking the road of their neighborhood suddenly emerged and opened fire directly at civilians without any warning or attempt to stop them.
Fatal bullet
The gunfire resulted in the shooting of little Rayan in the head while in his fathers’ arms. He sustained critical injuries that later proved fatal.
In a press statement, the family relative explained the bullet caused a severe head injury to the little boy, while his father sustained a wound to his right leg.
The family confirmed the father at the time was holding the toddler when bullets struck them both, turning the scene into a human tragedy in seconds.
Injured Father and Child Arrested
The incident did not end with the shooting. The family reported the occupation forces arrested the father and his injured child, (both in critical condition) with the grandfather, and transferred them to a military site near the area.
According to the same account, the father and son were detained for many hours despite their injuries, without receiving the necessary medical care. The child was bleeding profusely, while his father limping with a severe wound.
Dumped on the road after midnight
The family relative added that the Israeli occupation forces released the father after approximately six hours of detention, dumping him and his son on the Salah al-Din Street near the Abu Holi intersection after midnight, without bothering to notify the Red Cross or any other of the relevant authorities.
He added the soldiers merely bandaged the father’s injured leg before leaving him and his child on the side of the road. The father-in-law however remained in Israeli custody.
After hours of searching, residents found the father and son and transported them to Al-Aqsa Martyrs Hospital in Deir al-Balah. There, little Rayan, was pronounced dead from his injuries, while his father received treatment for his wounds.
Later, the family held a funeral procession for the child and buried him in the local cemetery amidst widespread grief and anger among the residents.
Contradictory Israeli Narrative
Following the incident, Israeli media outlets, including Channel 14, put a completely different spin on what happened. They claimed Israeli soldiers stopped a “resistance ambush” in the central Gaza Strip, alleging the killing of one Palestinian, the arrest of another, and the wounding of a third during the operation.
However, the facts surrounding the incident and the family testimonies reveal those shot were civilians: Father, child, and father-in-law. This is just one example of how the narrative is twisted time-and-again by the Israelis.
This crime comes amidst the ongoing Israeli attacks in the Gaza Strip, despite the so-called ceasefire agreement that is really ink-on-paper. According to data from the Gaza Ministry of Health, the violations recorded since the agreement came into effect have resulted in the deaths of nearly 1000 Palestinians and with the injuries of thousands more, amidst continuous warnings of the deteriorating humanitarian and security situation in the Strip.
The story of the child, Rayan Abu al-Ajeen, remains one of the most tragic incidents: A short outing with his father ended with his death from a bullet that struck him in the head while he was in his father’s arms.
This news story by Dr Marwan Asmar is based on a report from the Palestine Information Center and reprinted in crossfirearabia.com, and countercurrents.org
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