Three-year-old girl killed in Gaza by Israeli forces, local sources say
A three-year-old girl was killed by Israeli forces in Gaza on Sunday, according to local sources in the Palestinian territories.
Ahed Tariq Al-Bayouk was reportedly playing near her family’s tent in Mawasi in Rafah, southern Gaza, when she was shot.
The Israel Defense Forces said in a statement that they were “not aware of the attack” but would “conduct additional investigation” as more information becomes available.
According to Amnesty International, at least 136 children have been killed in Gaza since the ceasefire came into force on 10 October. The BBC is prevented from reporting independently from Gaza by Israel.
Ahed Al-Bayouk’s death appears to have occurred on the Palestinian side of the so-called Yellow Line, where Israeli troops have agreed to withdraw as part of the first phase of the US plan to end the conflict in the region.
The first phase also required the return of all 20 living and 28 dead hostages taken in the Hamas-led attack on southern Israel on October 7, 2023.
All were returned except for the remains of 24-year-old Israeli police officer Ran Gvili, who is believed to have been shot dead while trying to repel the attack that left approximately 1,200 people dead and 251 taken hostage.
Since then, more than 70,000 Palestinians have been killed in Israeli military offensives, according to Gaza’s Hamas-run health ministry.
The World Health Organization says at least 16,500 injured or seriously ill Palestinians require urgent evacuation out of Gaza for life-saving medical treatment.
On Saturday, Qatari Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman al-Thani said the current situation was a “pause” rather than a ceasefire and that his country was working with the United States, Turkey and Egypt to move the plan to a second phase.
This would include the establishment of an interim governing authority in Gaza, the deployment of an international security force, the disarmament of Hamas, and the eventual withdrawal of Israel from the region.
The plan will be overseen by the Peace Board chaired by US President Donald Trump.
It also reveals how redevelopment and reform can create “a credible path to Palestinian self-determination and statehood.”
After meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in Jerusalem on Sunday, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz said the eventual establishment of a Palestinian state could be the best path to a “new Middle East.”
However, Netanyahu stood by him and reiterated his opposition to the two-state solution.
He argued that the “purpose of the Palestinian state” was to destroy the only Jewish state.
“We believe there is a way to advance a broader peace with the Arab states and also build a workable peace with our Palestinian neighbors, but we will not create a state bent on destroying us,” he added.
Israeli and German leaders agreed that the second phase of the American plan should begin as soon as Mr. Gvili’s body was returned.
Netanyahu is expected to discuss the next phase of the plan during his meeting with Trump in the United States on December 29.
