Rayan Abu al-Ajeen, 3, was fatally shot in the Wadi al-Salqa area of Deir el-Balah province on Sunday afternoon. His body was taken to Al-Aqsa Martyrs Hospital on Monday.
His father, Bahaa, was wounded in the leg and is being treated at the hospital.
According to the family, the father and son were moving in areas outside the so-called 'Gold Road' — which is not under direct Israeli military control — and heading toward the family's greenhouses when the shooting occurred.
Jaber Abu al-Ajeen, Rayan's grandfather, said he was at home next to the farm when he heard gunfire and discovered that his son Bahaa and another relative accompanying him had been targeted. He later learned that Rayan had been killed.
"My grandson, Rayan, was hit by a bullet to the head; the bullet went through his head and exited through his eye," Jaber told Al Jazeera. "His mother is completely devastated by what happened."
Al-Ajeen explained that his son was taken into an area controlled by the Israeli military and left bleeding for seven hours before being transferred to the hospital for treatment.
"We remain extremely worried about Bahaa's condition, because he was unstable after hours of bleeding, and the condition of his leg is very serious."
The Israeli military has not commented on the shooting.
Israeli forces have continued attacks in Gaza since last October's ceasefire, killing nearly 1,000 Palestinians. In total, Israel has killed more than 73,000 Palestinians since the beginning of its genocidal war in Gaza in October 2023.
Many of the killings occur near the 'Gold Road,' an area that Israel continues to expand despite the terms of the ceasefire agreement.
Jaber al-Ajeen said the family had always been vigilant because they live near the 'Gold Road.'
"We have lived in this area for a long time," he said. "We are just civilians engaged in agriculture, and all our land lies outside the 'Gold Road.'"
