A toddler in Gaza was returned to his mother with apparent marks of “torture” on his legs – likely caused by cigarette burns – after 10 hours in Israeli detention, his family has claimed.
Jawad Abu Nassar, aged 21 months, was taken by Israeli soldiers alongside his father, Osama Abu Nassar, 25, near their home in the Maghazi refugee camp in central Gaza.
The Israeli Defence Forces (IDF) rejected the claims, describing them as “unfounded”, and said the child was brought “by a Hamas operative into a dangerous area to be used as a human shield”. They claimed that his injuries were inflicted by shrapnel from bullets being fired by Israeli soldiers.
Following Jawad’s release from detention, his mother discovered what appeared to be severe burns around and behind his knees, as well as a wound caused by a sharp object, Sky News reported.
When his family took him to hospital, doctors told them that the injuries were consistent with “signs of torture and cigarette burns.”
The incident happened on the morning of 19 March as Osama took his little boy out to buy him sweets ahead of the Muslim festival Eid al-Fitr.
Osama’s father, Muhammed Husni Abu Nassar, said he witnessed his son and grandchild heading east, towards the so-called Yellow Line, the invisible border that splits the Israeli-designated military zones and buffer areas inside the Strip.
Osama, whose home had been destroyed in an Israeli bombardment, had reportedly been grappling with severe trauma and the recent loss of his unborn child.
His father told Middle East Eye: “The neighbours told me that [Israeli soldiers] did not shoot him, they only fired around him.
“Poor him, he seemed unaware of what he was doing, so he just kept walking.”
An Israeli quadcopter drone approached Osama before he was seen putting Jawad down, walking towards soldiers and removing his clothes, keeping only his boxers on, eyewitnesses told his father.
The IDF told The Independent that on the day of the incident, it had identified a suspect approaching while holding an unidentified object, later found to be the toddler.
Despite “repeated” calls to stop, the man continued walking toward the soldiers until they fired at the road as a warning, the spokesperson claimed.
“It is likely that splinters resulting from the fire caused minor injuries to both the suspect and the toddler,” they added.
Both Jawad and Osama vanished, until – about 10 hours later – Muhammed received a phone call from the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), who told him that they have his grandson.
When he went to pick up the boy, he saw that his trousers were covered in blood splotches.
“We asked him, ‘Who caused this blood?’ He could not answer,” his grandfather said. “When we asked, ‘Where is your father?’ he said only, ‘Gone.’”
Jawad’s mother told Sky: “When I took his trousers off, I saw his legs. There were entry and exit wounds right here. It seems like they used a metal tool to pierce him. And they put out cigarettes on his little legs. We only realised the extent the next day.”
The child was examined by Dr Bisan Ahmed, an emergency room physician, a day after his release. She produced a medical report that identified signs of possible torture.
“I observed multiple deep, uniform lesions on his lower body, which are clinically consistent with deliberate cigarette burns used as a form of physical torture,” she told Sky News. The Independent could not verify the report.
Jawad’s father is still missing, and his family has not been told whether he has been arrested by the Israeli army, or what his condition is after being wounded. The IDF has not produced evidence to support the claim that Osama is a member of Hamas.
The IDF said the child had been transferred safely to the Red Cross and released footage of a soldier handing the child over and saying: “His vitals are stable. Walking and talking, and he’s happy.”
A statement from the IDF added: “The suspect was apprehended by the troops and taken to a nearby military post, where he received medical treatment and was questioned.
“During questioning, he identified himself as a Hamas operative and admitted entering Israeli territory during the October 7 massacre. He confessed to bringing his toddler son with him to prevent harm if he approached IDF troops.
“Simultaneously, the toddler was taken by the troops to the same military post, where he was examined and remained under the constant supervision of the physician, as well as an officer and additional troops who provided food, sweets, and drinks.”
