{"id":877,"date":"2026-07-09T17:40:44","date_gmt":"2026-07-09T17:40:44","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/smartmovinghome.com\/?p=877"},"modified":"2026-07-09T17:40:44","modified_gmt":"2026-07-09T17:40:44","slug":"israel-continues-to-shoot-children-in-the-head-during-the-gaza-ceasefire","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/smartmovinghome.com\/?p=877","title":{"rendered":"Israel Continues to Shoot Children in the Head During the Gaza Ceasefire"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n<\/p>\n
\n
\n

Part of the Series<\/h4>\n<\/header>\n
\n
Struggle and Solidarity: Writing Toward Palestinian Liberation<\/h5>\n<\/article>\n<\/section>\n
\n
\n

Support justice-driven, accurate and transparent news \u2014 make a <\/span><\/i>quick donation<\/span><\/i> to Truthout today!\u00a0<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n

Read more Graham Platner Ends Senate Bid Following Slew of Sexual Assault Allegations<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

Bahaa Abu Al-Ajeen, 32, set out with his 3-year-old son Rayan to check on their family home east of Deir al-Balah in central Gaza at approximately 5:00 pm on June 14. According to Bahaa, the area appeared safe and deserted. He said there were no visible soldiers, no gunfire, and no drones overhead.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe area was safe. If I had felt any danger, I would never have gone there,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

After inspecting the house and leaving the area, Bahaa said he was shocked to see Israeli soldiers emerging from a nearby building.<\/p>\n

\u201cMy son was in my arms and crying intensely from fear,\u201d he recalled. \u201cIt was the first time I had ever seen him so frightened.\u201d<\/p>\n

According to his account, he decided to move away from the soldiers in an attempt to calm Rayan and walked approximately 500 meters from the area. Bahaa said that after he had distanced himself, the soldiers began shouting at him to stop. He stated that two shots were fired in his direction but did not hit either him or his son, prompting him to stop out of fear for their lives.<\/p>\n

\u201cAfter I stopped, one of the soldiers knelt down and fired directly at my son,\u201d Bahaa said. \u201cThe bullet entered the back of Rayan\u2019s head and exited through his left eye. Moments later, another bullet struck my left leg. When I saw them kill my son, I screamed and asked them, \u2018He is a child. Why did you kill him?\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n

Bahaa said he attempted to call an ambulance using his mobile phone, but the soldiers confiscated it and prevented him from seeking medical assistance. According to Bahaa\u2019s testimony, Rayan bled for approximately seven minutes before dying from his injuries. He said he pleaded with the soldiers to save his son, but they refused.<\/p>\n

Hours of Pain<\/strong><\/h2>\n

Bahaa stated that after he was wounded and his son was killed, soldiers dragged him while he was still holding Rayan and took him to what he described as a military-controlled area near the Kissufim crossing. Upon arrival, he said, the soldiers took Rayan away from him and left him bleeding on the ground.<\/p>\n

By that point, Bahaa said his left leg had been nearly severed. He recalled hearing soldiers discussing whether his leg should be amputated.<\/p>\n

\u201cI heard one of them speaking Arabic and saying that my leg was beyond saving and should be amputated,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

The discussion left him terrified. Later, according to Bahaa, soldiers loaded him into an Israeli military vehicle. During the journey, he asked about his son.<\/p>\n

Read more Trump\u2019s Portfolio Has Directly Benefited From His Global Military Escalations<\/a><\/p>\n

\u201cThey told me that Rayan was dead,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

Bahaa stated that soldiers then placed Rayan\u2019s body in a black plastic bag and handed it to him.<\/p>\n

\u201cAt that moment, I wished they had killed me and let my son live,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

Holding his son\u2019s body, Bahaa repeatedly asked the soldiers why they had killed a 3-year-old child. According to his account, he was initially told he would be transferred to an Israeli prison before soldiers later informed him that he would instead be returned to Gaza. Bahaa said he was eventually left in an isolated area at around 11:30 pm, still wounded and carrying his son\u2019s body. After waiting for nearly 90 minutes, Palestinians found the grieving father and transported him to Al-Aqsa Martyrs Hospital in Deir al-Balah.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhen I saw Palestinians coming to rescue me and take my son, I lost consciousness,\u201d he said. \u201cThe next thing I remember is waking up in the hospital.\u201d<\/p>\n

Killed While Learning<\/strong><\/h2>\n

On April 9, 2026, 9-year-old Ritaj Rihan was killed while attending an educational tent in the Al-Salatin area of Beit Lahia, according to her family. Ritaj\u2019s mother said her daughter had been excited to return to learning for the first time since October 7, 2023.<\/p>\n

According to her mother, witnesses, teachers, and students present inside the tent, Ritaj was standing at the front of the classroom waiting for her notebook to be reviewed when she was shot. Witnesses said the bullet pierced the tent before striking the child.<\/p>\n

\u201cShe was standing among her classmates, waiting for her teacher,\u201d her mother said. \u201cThen suddenly she collapsed.\u201d<\/p>\n

According to those present, blood began pouring from Ritaj\u2019s mouth as shocked classmates and teachers watched. The bullet entered through her mouth and caused fatal internal injuries, according to her family\u2019s account. Staff members at the educational tent attempted to save her, but due to the severe shortage of transportation in northern Gaza, they were forced to use a donkey cart to carry her to medical care. Despite the staff\u2019s efforts, Ritaj died from her injuries.<\/p>\n

The UN Independent International Commission of Inquiry on the Occupied Palestinian Territory released a report in June showing that nearly 30 percent of those killed in Gaza between October 7, 2023, and the so-called ceasefire in October 2025 were children. A report published days later by Israeli human rights organization B\u2019Tselem found that Israel is killing Palestinian children in the West Bank at the highest rate since 1967.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe evidence shows that Palestinian children have been deliberately targeted and killed by the Israeli security forces,\u201d Srinivasan Muralidhar, chair of the UN commission, said. \u201cEven after the October 2025 ceasefire, children continue to be killed and seriously injured, with continued disregard by Israel for the ceasefire and for the protection owed to Palestinian children under international law.\u201d<\/p>\n

The stories of Rayan and Ritaj unfolded in different parts of Gaza and under different circumstances. Yet both children were engaged in ordinary activities \u2014 one accompanying his father, the other attending class \u2014 when their lives came to an end.<\/p>\n

Their families continue to remember them as children whose futures were cut short amid a genocide that continues to exact a heavy toll on Gaza\u2019s youngest residents.<\/p>\n

Read more Released Detainees Say They Saw Hussam Abu Safiya Tortured in Israeli Custody<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Two Palestinian parents recount the killing of their children by the Israeli military. One was 3, the other 9.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":876,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-877","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-interesting"],"yoast_head":"\nIsrael Continues to Shoot Children in the Head During the Gaza Ceasefire - Smart Moving Home<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/smartmovinghome.com\/?p=877\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Israel Continues to Shoot Children in the Head During the Gaza Ceasefire - Smart Moving Home\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Two Palestinian parents recount the killing of their children by the Israeli military. One was 3, the other 9.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/smartmovinghome.com\/?p=877\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Smart Moving Home\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2026-07-09T17:40:44+00:00\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"admin\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"admin\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"5 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/smartmovinghome.com\\\/?p=877#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/smartmovinghome.com\\\/?p=877\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"admin\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/smartmovinghome.com\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/ec0d70042821fd684a174c8d0e8becfa\"},\"headline\":\"Israel Continues to Shoot Children in the Head During the Gaza Ceasefire\",\"datePublished\":\"2026-07-09T17:40:44+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/smartmovinghome.com\\\/?p=877\"},\"wordCount\":1033,\"commentCount\":0,\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/smartmovinghome.com\\\/?p=877#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/smartmovinghome.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/07\\\/758c8fccb10dff2c19e32628c39681f4.jpg\",\"articleSection\":[\"Interesting\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"CommentAction\",\"name\":\"Comment\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/smartmovinghome.com\\\/?p=877#respond\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/smartmovinghome.com\\\/?p=877\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/smartmovinghome.com\\\/?p=877\",\"name\":\"Israel Continues to Shoot Children in the Head During the Gaza Ceasefire - Smart Moving Home\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/smartmovinghome.com\\\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/smartmovinghome.com\\\/?p=877#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/smartmovinghome.com\\\/?p=877#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/smartmovinghome.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/07\\\/758c8fccb10dff2c19e32628c39681f4.jpg\",\"datePublished\":\"2026-07-09T17:40:44+00:00\",\"author\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/smartmovinghome.com\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/ec0d70042821fd684a174c8d0e8becfa\"},\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/smartmovinghome.com\\\/?p=877#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/smartmovinghome.com\\\/?p=877\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/smartmovinghome.com\\\/?p=877#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/smartmovinghome.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/07\\\/758c8fccb10dff2c19e32628c39681f4.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/smartmovinghome.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/07\\\/758c8fccb10dff2c19e32628c39681f4.jpg\",\"width\":2560,\"height\":1707},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/smartmovinghome.com\\\/?p=877#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\\\/\\\/smartmovinghome.com\\\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"Israel Continues to Shoot Children in the Head During the Gaza Ceasefire\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/smartmovinghome.com\\\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/smartmovinghome.com\\\/\",\"name\":\"Smart Moving Home\",\"description\":\"\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\\\/\\\/smartmovinghome.com\\\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/smartmovinghome.com\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/ec0d70042821fd684a174c8d0e8becfa\",\"name\":\"admin\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/50b1ad2e498f523425ee0a8cc5180a210646db1622662a3d56cc405d3e0c346a?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/50b1ad2e498f523425ee0a8cc5180a210646db1622662a3d56cc405d3e0c346a?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/50b1ad2e498f523425ee0a8cc5180a210646db1622662a3d56cc405d3e0c346a?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"caption\":\"admin\"},\"sameAs\":[\"http:\\\/\\\/smartmovinghome.com\"],\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/smartmovinghome.com\\\/?author=1\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Israel Continues to Shoot Children in the Head During the Gaza Ceasefire - Smart Moving Home","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/smartmovinghome.com\/?p=877","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"Israel Continues to Shoot Children in the Head During the Gaza Ceasefire - Smart Moving Home","og_description":"Two Palestinian parents recount the killing of their children by the Israeli military. One was 3, the other 9.","og_url":"https:\/\/smartmovinghome.com\/?p=877","og_site_name":"Smart Moving Home","article_published_time":"2026-07-09T17:40:44+00:00","author":"admin","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"admin","Est. reading time":"5 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/smartmovinghome.com\/?p=877#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/smartmovinghome.com\/?p=877"},"author":{"name":"admin","@id":"https:\/\/smartmovinghome.com\/#\/schema\/person\/ec0d70042821fd684a174c8d0e8becfa"},"headline":"Israel Continues to Shoot Children in the Head During the Gaza Ceasefire","datePublished":"2026-07-09T17:40:44+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/smartmovinghome.com\/?p=877"},"wordCount":1033,"commentCount":0,"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/smartmovinghome.com\/?p=877#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/smartmovinghome.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/758c8fccb10dff2c19e32628c39681f4.jpg","articleSection":["Interesting"],"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"CommentAction","name":"Comment","target":["https:\/\/smartmovinghome.com\/?p=877#respond"]}]},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/smartmovinghome.com\/?p=877","url":"https:\/\/smartmovinghome.com\/?p=877","name":"Israel Continues to Shoot Children in the Head During the Gaza Ceasefire - Smart Moving Home","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/smartmovinghome.com\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/smartmovinghome.com\/?p=877#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/smartmovinghome.com\/?p=877#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/smartmovinghome.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/758c8fccb10dff2c19e32628c39681f4.jpg","datePublished":"2026-07-09T17:40:44+00:00","author":{"@id":"https:\/\/smartmovinghome.com\/#\/schema\/person\/ec0d70042821fd684a174c8d0e8becfa"},"breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/smartmovinghome.com\/?p=877#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/smartmovinghome.com\/?p=877"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/smartmovinghome.com\/?p=877#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/smartmovinghome.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/758c8fccb10dff2c19e32628c39681f4.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/smartmovinghome.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/758c8fccb10dff2c19e32628c39681f4.jpg","width":2560,"height":1707},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/smartmovinghome.com\/?p=877#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/smartmovinghome.com\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Israel Continues to Shoot Children in the Head During the Gaza Ceasefire"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/smartmovinghome.com\/#website","url":"https:\/\/smartmovinghome.com\/","name":"Smart Moving Home","description":"","potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/smartmovinghome.com\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/smartmovinghome.com\/#\/schema\/person\/ec0d70042821fd684a174c8d0e8becfa","name":"admin","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/50b1ad2e498f523425ee0a8cc5180a210646db1622662a3d56cc405d3e0c346a?s=96&d=mm&r=g","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/50b1ad2e498f523425ee0a8cc5180a210646db1622662a3d56cc405d3e0c346a?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/50b1ad2e498f523425ee0a8cc5180a210646db1622662a3d56cc405d3e0c346a?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"admin"},"sameAs":["http:\/\/smartmovinghome.com"],"url":"https:\/\/smartmovinghome.com\/?author=1"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/smartmovinghome.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/877","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/smartmovinghome.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/smartmovinghome.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/smartmovinghome.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/smartmovinghome.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=877"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/smartmovinghome.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/877\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/smartmovinghome.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/876"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/smartmovinghome.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=877"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/smartmovinghome.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=877"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/smartmovinghome.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=877"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}