Day after day, horrific chapters of Israeli occupation crimes against civilians in the Gaza Strip are revealed, with a new tragedy recorded, victimizing three-year-old child Rayan Abu Al-Ajeen. The crime occurred while the child was in his father's arms as they returned from a family visit in the area west of the Yellow Line, which was completely devoid of any military activity or armed presence.
The grieving father, Bahaa El-Din Abu Al-Ajeen, recounts from his hospital bed at Al-Aqsa Martyrs Hospital how he was surprised by occupation soldiers directly in front of them at close range. He says he tried to protect his child, who began crying as soon as he saw the soldiers, so he hugged him, trying to move away from the place, but bullets were fired at them without warning or justification.
According to the father's testimony, the soldiers initially fired two bullets that did not hit him, so he raised his voice loudly, asking them to stop shooting, but the response came with a third bullet that directly targeted Rayan's head while he was still in his father's arms. The soldiers did not stop there; they also shot the father's leg, causing him serious injuries that almost severed his foot from his body.
When the father tried to call for help and an ambulance via his mobile phone, the soldiers quickly confiscated the phone and forcibly shut it down, preventing any means of saving the child who was bleeding profusely. A forced conversation ensued, characterized by brutality, as the father cried out, pleading with the soldiers to save his son, to which one of them coldly replied: 'What do you want with the boy? Let him die,' then they snatched the child's body and wrapped it in a piece of nylon in front of his father's eyes.
The injured father was subjected to abuse for long hours, as he and his child's body were taken to a nearby military site, where he was subjected to psychological pressure and threats of amputating his injured foot, which was only held by some tissues. During his interrogation, the soldiers accused the father of belonging to resistance factions, which he denied completely, emphasizing that he was a civilian on a family outing.
At approximately eleven o'clock at night, after hours of bleeding and pain, the occupation soldiers threw the father in an empty, dark area near the 'Kissufim' military site. The father was left alone under the surveillance of 'Quad Copter' drones, only to find his child Rayan's body next to him, which the soldiers had thrown, still wrapped in the piece of nylon it had been placed in since the moment of his martyrdom.
Medical sources overseeing Bahaa El-Din Abu Al-Ajeen's condition describe his health as extremely critical, as he suffers from severe bone and blood vessel damage. The father needs a series of complex surgical operations, including bone grafting and repair of arteries and veins in his right foot to save it from certain amputation due to deliberate medical neglect during the hours of detention.
The father concludes his story with indescribable bitterness, appealing to international bodies and humanitarian organizations to help him receive the necessary treatment outside the Strip due to weak local capabilities. Bahaa El-Din confirms that since the moment his child died in his arms, he has not tasted sleep, as Rayan's image and the harsh words of the soldiers still haunt him every moment.
What do you want with the boy? Let the boy die, leave him.
שתף את דעתך
In cold blood.. Occupation soldiers assassinate a child in his father's arms and leave him bleeding for hours