Wednesday, 25 March 2026 — Palestine Will Be Free
Still not old enough to form words, let alone understand the horrors he was subjected to, Jawad could only say the Arabic word for blood when asked what had happened to him.
In one of the most harrowing cases of abuse in an unending list of harrowing abuses, the Israeli occupation forces tortured a 22-month-old child to pressure his father into false confessions in central Gaza on March 19.
Wa’ad Hani Mohammad Al-Shafie, the mother of the 22-month-old Jawad Abu Nassar, recounted her ordeal after her husband was abducted by the Israelis and her son was then subjected to horrific abuse before she was reunited with him ten hours later.
Wa’ad testified that the Israeli “soldiers pressured him [her husband, Osama Abu Nassar] by torturing our young son Jawad, including burning his body with cigarette butts, especially on his legs, and piercing his legs with a sharp object.”
Her testimony was published by the human rights organisation Al-Haq on Tuesday:
Testimony by: Wa’ad Hani Mohammad Al-Shafie
Child’s name: Jawad Osama Mohammad Abu Nassar (1 year and 10 months old)
Father (detained): Osama Mohammad Hosni Abu Nassar, 25 years old
Date of incident: March 19, 2026, at around 10:00 a.m.
My husband, Osama Abu Nassar, 25, went to buy some necessities for our only son, Jawad, who is 1 year and 10 months old, from a place near our home located east of Al-Maghazi camp.
My husband Osama had begun suffering from psychological distress about two weeks ago due to the severe mental strain caused by the conditions and horrors of the war in Gaza, as well as the shortage of food and basic necessities.
As a result, Osama headed east toward the ‘yellow line,’ about 500 meters from our home, toward areas controlled by the occupation forces, while carrying our young son Jawad.
During this time, soldiers stationed behind the yellow line opened fire at Osama while he was carrying our son. I heard the sound of gunfire. Then a small quadcopter drone surrounded him and ordered him via loudspeaker to remove all his clothes except his underwear. This was confirmed by witnesses from among our neighbors and local residents. They also ordered him to strip our young child. About four soldiers then arrived, surrounded him at gunpoint, and ordered him to place our son Jawad on the ground and move toward them.
After that, Osama was detained and interrogated on the spot. During the interrogation, the soldiers pressured him by torturing our young son Jawad, including burning his body with cigarette butts, especially on his legs, and piercing his legs with a sharp object. This was confirmed to us by doctors at Al-Aqsa Martyrs Hospital in Deir al-Balah, after our child was released and handed over to us by representatives of the Red Cross, about 10 hours after his detention. The Red Cross representatives informed us that my husband Osama had been detained and that they have not been able to visit him so far.
Our son Jawad still suffers from severe pain and scarring on his legs as a result of the torture inflicted on him. Our family has no information so far about my husband Osama, who remains detained.
Burns
Still not old enough to form words, let alone understand the horrors he was subjected to, Jawad could only say the Arabic word for blood when asked what had happened to him.
When the child was brought home, the family tried to ask him what had happened, but he could only say “mam” – a broken pronunciation of the Arabic word dam, meaning blood.
“We asked him, ‘Who caused this blood?’ He could not answer. When we asked, ‘Where is your father?’ he said only, ‘Gone.’ That was all he could say. But when his mother hugged him, he screamed and cried,” Muhammed [Jawad’s grandfather] said.
In their genocidal carnage in the Gaza Strip beginning in October 2023, the Israelis have killed at least 20,000 children, according to very conservative numbers maintained by the besieged enclave’s resource-starved health ministry.
The number of injured children is estimated at 45,000.
The Israelis have also consistently detained and tortured Palestinian children. A report published last November included testimonies from three children who were abducted from aid-distribution sites and tortured relentlessly to the point that one of the victims attempted suicide twice.
‘I attempted suicide twice’: Children abducted from Gaza ‘aid’ sites tortured, abused in Israeli dungeons
At least 350 Palestinian children are currently in Israeli rape and torture dungeons, completely at the mercy of their captors. They are often denied adequate food and visits from their family members and lawyers. At least one child has been documented as having been starved and beaten to death in Israeli dungeons since the start of the genocide.
Even in this sea of unending brutality, being streamed live for the past two and a half years, the Israelis have once again demonstrated their tendency to lower the bar of their depravity further by torturing a toddler who cannot yet speak.
The New Dark Age 
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