"They Were Only Gathering Firewood for Their Families in the Freezing Cold"... Boys Killed by Military Gunfire

Bereaved Families: "Innocent Children Were Killed"

In the Palestinian Gaza Strip, boys gathering firewood in the freezing cold were shot and killed by Israeli forces.

On January 25 (local time), CNN reported, citing bereaved family members and hospital officials, that a 14-year-old and a 13-year-old boy living in northern Gaza were killed by Israeli gunfire the previous day. The two boys, who were cousins, were reportedly collecting firewood for their families when they were shot. One family member said, "The children were trying to help their parents by gathering firewood to cook food and keep the family warm during the harsh winter."

The Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) claimed regarding the incident, "Troops operating in northern Gaza identified several terrorists who crossed the yellow line (the Israeli withdrawal line), planted explosives, and posed an immediate threat to military personnel," adding, "They were not children."

However, the bereaved families countered, saying, "The children who died were near the entrance of Kamal Adwan Hospital, far from the yellow line," and insisted, "The occupying forces are lying, and they killed innocent children." The United Nations Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights in the Occupied Palestinian Territory (OHCHR-OPT) also stated that there were three incidents near the yellow line on the same day, and that two of the deceased were 13-year-old boys.

Southern Khan Yunis, Gaza Strip. Photo by AFP Yonhap News

Previously, on January 21, at least 11 people, including children, were killed in an Israeli attack. According to the Associated Press, on that day, three people, including a 13-year-old boy and his father, were killed in an Israeli drone strike on the eastern side of the Bureij refugee camp. It was not confirmed whether they had crossed into the Israeli-controlled area. In another location near the Bureij refugee camp, three brothers were killed simultaneously by Israeli tank shelling.

Meanwhile, the Israeli military has launched a large-scale operation to recover the body of the last remaining hostage in Gaza. The Israeli military stated that it is searching for the body of Sergeant Ran Gvirili, the last remaining hostage who died in Gaza, and is searching cemeteries near the yellow line. The operation is expected to take several days to complete. On this day, the office of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced, "Once this operation is completed, Israel will open the Rafah crossing in accordance with the agreement with the United States."

Israel has maintained that it can only open the border if the body of Sergeant Ran Gvirili, the last remaining hostage in Gaza, is returned and Hamas is disarmed, as stipulated in the ceasefire agreement.