‘Cigarette Burns, Nail Wounds’: Toddler Tortured in Gaza to Coerce Father

By Palestine Chronicle Staff

Israeli occupation forces tortured a toddler in Gaza to coerce his father’s confession, according to Palestinian and international media reports.

Key Developments

• A one-year-old child was tortured in Al-Maghazi to pressure the detained father during interrogation.

• Medical report confirms cigarette burns and puncture wounds inflicted on the child.

• The child was released after 10 hours via Red Cross; his father remains in Israeli detention.

Torture of Child to Pressure Father

Israeli occupation soldiers subjected a one-year-old Palestinian child to torture in central Gaza to force his father into making confessions, according to a report by Anadolu Agency, citing Palestinian journalist Osama Al-Kahlout.

The child, identified as Karim Abu Nassar, was detained near the Al-Maghazi refugee camp after his father, Osama Abu Nassar, was caught in gunfire while attempting to buy supplies.

Eyewitnesses told Palestine TV that Israeli occupation soldiers forced the father to leave his 18-month-old son on the ground and approach a nearby military checkpoint, where he was stripped and interrogated.

According to the report, Israeli occupation forces tortured the child in front of his father during the interrogation process. Medical documentation later confirmed that Karim sustained burn marks and puncture wounds.

Al-Jazeera reported that Israeli occupation forces “extinguished cigarettes on his body and inserted a nail into his leg” while torturing the toddler in front of his father.

The report emphasized the severity of the abuse, noting that the child “did not exceed two years of age” and was subjected to physical harm during detention.

Release of Child, Father Still Detained

The child was held for approximately 10 hours before being released and handed over to his family through the International Committee of the Red Cross in Al-Maghazi.

Medical reports confirmed that Karim suffered cigarette burns and puncture wounds caused by the insertion of a nail into his leg.

His father, however, remains in Israeli detention, with the family appealing to international organizations to intervene and secure his release so he can receive medical care.

The incident comes amid continued Israeli attacks on Gaza despite a ceasefire agreement implemented in October 2025.

According to Gaza’s Health Ministry, hundreds of Palestinians have been killed and thousands injured since the truce began, while the overall death toll since October 2023 has surpassed 72,000, with more than 171,000 injured.

(PC, WAFA, Palestine TV, Al-Jazeera, Anadolu)