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3-Year-Old Killed and Father Wounded Near Gaza Yellow Line During Reported Approach to Israeli Troops
@NBCNews reported that Rayan Abu al-Ajeen, age 3, was killed on June 14 when Israeli soldiers fired near the boundary in central Gaza. His father described the sequence of events and the Israeli military said the incident remains under review.
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Rayan Abu al-Ajeen, age 3, was shot and killed in central Gaza on June 14, @NBCNews reported. His father, Bahaa Abu al-Ajeen, age 38, said the family was walking on a farm in an area designated for civilians near the yellow line when Israeli soldiers confronted them. Bahaa Abu al-Ajeen stated that soldiers fired warning shots and the third shot struck Rayan in the head.
He said soldiers then shot at him, took his phone, provided no medical assistance to the boy, and detained him for hours before treating a gunshot wound to his leg. The incident occurred near the yellow line, which divides Palestinian-controlled parts of Gaza from areas under Israeli military control.
The Israel Defense Forces stated on June 16 that troops identified several Gazans approaching them and initiated standard suspect apprehension procedures including warning fire.
The military said one Gazan was killed and another injured as a result, adding that details of the June 14 incident are under review. It declined to confirm whether a child was killed or provide further details on proximity or markings. Jaber Abu al-Ajeen, Rayan’s grandfather, stated that the family are farmers known to the army and that they follow instructions and stay away from the yellow line.
The last publicly distributed map of the yellow line was released by the Israeli military on October 10. More than 70,000 people have been killed in Gaza since October 7, 2023, including more than 20,000 children, according to Palestinian health officials, with 44,000 injured.
At least 1,103 Palestinians, including 241 children, have been killed in the West Bank as of June 5, 2026, according to the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs.
