Two Palestinian boys were killed by Israeli fire in Gaza while collecting firewood, their families said. The boys were cousins: Mohammad and Suleiman Al Zawaraa. Mohammad was 14 years old, while Suleiman was a year younger, according to hospital authorities. They were killed on Saturday morning and their bodies were taken to Al Shifa hospital. Videos released showed the distraught father holding the body of one of the victims in his arms.
Both children and their families live in northern Gaza. Their uncle, Salman Al Zawaraa, told CNN that the boys were close friends. "They were full of life and joy, they wanted to help their parents, so they went out to collect firewood to cook and warm the family in this harsh winter," Al Zawaraa said Sunday.
Israeli soldiers told CNN that “forces operating in the northern Gaza Strip identified several terrorists who crossed the Yellow Line, planted an explosive device and approached the troops, posing an immediate threat to them.” According to the military, the incident was the same one where the boys were killed. However, a military source claimed that “they were not children,” without providing evidence.
The boys' uncle insisted that they were far from the Yellow Line, "near the entrance to Kamal Adwan Hospital. What the occupation army says is a lie; these are innocent children who were killed in cold blood." In some parts of Gaza, the Yellow Line is not clear or marked.
This is not the first case of children dying while collecting firewood. In November, Fadi and Jumaa Abu Assi – aged eight and ten – went out to collect firewood for their disabled father and were killed by a drone strike. The Israeli military acknowledged that attack, calling the children “two suspects who crossed the yellow line, carried out suspicious activities and approached IDF troops operating in the southern Gaza Strip, posing an immediate threat.”
The Palestinian Health Ministry said on Sunday that three people were killed by Israeli military action in the past 24 hours, bringing the total since the October ceasefire to 484. The ministry reported that the total number of deaths in Gaza since October 2023 is 71,657 and does not distinguish between combatants and civilians. Last Wednesday, at least 11 Palestinians were killed in a series of attacks, according to the United Nations Office for Human Rights in the Occupied Palestinian Territory (OHCHR). The organization said this was a “broader pattern of violence following the ceasefire and the continuing effects of two years of devastation.”
Among those killed were three Palestinian journalists near the Netzarim area in central Gaza, working for the Egyptian Relief Committee (ERC). The ERC said the killing of the three men brought to 292 the number of journalists killed by Israeli strikes since October 2023. The ERC representative said all vehicles bore the organization’s logo and the journalists filmed the area as usual every day.
