Gaza: Indiscriminate Israeli gunfire kills and terrorises displaced families

After finishing her homework, Fatima al-Bayouk went to play with her cousins outside her grandmother’s home in Deir al-Balah, central Gaza, when an Israeli bullet struck her neck. Moments later, the eight-year-old Palestinian girl returned home trembling, blood soaking her shirt. She screamed that her cousin had been shot, unaware that she had been hit herself. The bullet had lodged in her lung. After a week in hospital, she died from her injuries.

For her grandmother, Safia Abo Amra, Bayouk - the sole survivor of her immediate family in an earlier Israeli air strike - was far more than a granddaughter. She had become her closest companion and the centre of her life. “Fatima was my best friend. We did everything together, cooking, going on walks; we even slept on the same mattress. I have seven sons and six daughters, yet Fatima was more precious to me than all of them,” Abo Amra told Middle East Eye.

New MEE newsletter: Jerusalem Dispatch Sign up to get the latest insights and analysis on Israel-Palestine, alongside Turkey Unpacked and other MEE newsletters Despite everything she had endured, Bayouk had brought joy back into her grandmother’s life. Her uncle Ahmad Abo Amra remembered her as a bright, cheerful girl whose smile lifted the spirits of those around her. 'My life was attached to Fatima’s. I wish I could die after her' - Safia Abo Amra, Palestinian grandmother “The best thing about Fatima was her smile that always brought joy to everyone around her.

She was smart, responsible and loved happy occasions like weddings and family gatherings,” he said. Her death reflects a wider pattern of indiscriminate Israeli gunfire that has become a daily threat to Palestinians across the Gaza Strip, particularly displaced families living near the so-called Yellow Line. Israeli shooting from military positions, tanks and quadcopter drones has killed and wounded hundreds of civilians since the October 2025 ceasefire.

It has also disrupted access to basic necessities and made everyday activities dangerous. As Israel expands its control over more of the territory, families increasingly find themselves exposed to gunfire, with little protection and few places to seek safety. A life cut short For Bayouk’s family, her death was particularly devastating. She had already survived the loss of her immediate family in the early days of Israel’s genocide. On 13 December 2023, an Israeli air strike targeted their home in Khan Younis, southern Gaza, killing her family.

Bayouk survived and went to live with her grandmother in Deir al-Balah, where Abo Amra and other relatives tried to rebuild her life amid the devastation of the war. 'With her beautiful soul, she was the one to help me through my grief for my daughter and grandchildren' - Safia Abo Amro “We did our best to provide everything Fatima needed and make her feel cared for and surrounded by people who love her,” Abo Amra said. “I wanted to make up for the loss of her family, but with her beautiful soul, she was the one to help me through my grief for my daughter and grandchildren.”

Education remained an important part of Bayouk’s life as she grew up in her grandmother’s home. Concerned for her safety, Abo Amra refused to send her to a UN school after hearing that Israeli stray bullets frequently reached the area. Instead, she paid monthly fees to enrol her in a local school. “I walked Fatima to school every day. She was very smart and always did her homework before playing,” Abo Amra said. Her death reopened the grandmother’s wounds.

“I was shocked and couldn't speak or move. Her death was twice as painful for me; it reminded me of my daughter and grandchildren who were killed at the beginning of the war,” Abo Amra said. “My life was attached to Fatima’s. I wish I could die after her.” Fatima al-Bayouk liked to dress well, her family says (Abdallah al-Naami/MEE) Despite her young age, Bayouk left a lasting impression on those around her. She loved dressing up, particularly for family celebrations.

Her uncle Reda Abo Amra remembered how much she enjoyed choosing new clothes. The family had recently bought her winter clothes, but she never got the chance to wear them. “She always liked to be well-dressed. We bought her new clothes for winter, but she was killed before she could wear them,” he told MEE. Bayouk was not the first member of her family to be killed by Israeli gunfire. Six months before her death, her uncle Masoud Abo Amra, who was born with a mental disability, was shot in the neck while visiting his sister in Khan Younis.

“Masoud was Fatima's favourite uncle. She was devastated when she bid him farewell,” Ahmad said. ‘When the shooting starts, life stops’ For displaced families in Gaza, Israeli gunfire is not only a deadly threat but also a constant disruption to daily life. Zaid al-Kafarna, 19, and his family of 10 were displaced from northern Gaza to the Um Duhair area, south of Deir al-Balah, days before the October 2025 ceasefire came into effect. Kafarna said Israeli shooting was initially “occasional” and took place some distance from their tents.

But it gradually became more frequent and moved closer to the camp. Over the past three months, he said, it had become a daily threat, frequently causing deaths, injuries and damage. Gaza family mourns boys killed by Israel along Yellow Line Read More » “I miraculously survived stray bullets several times. My friend and neighbour, Mohammad Aqel, was killed a few weeks ago by a stray bullet while he was preparing to return to northern Gaza,” Kafarna told MEE.

His mother, Shereen al-Kafarna, was recently wounded by an Israeli bullet while inside their tent. She described how the shooting brings life in the camp to a standstill. “When the shooting starts, life stops in our camp. Neighbours warn each other. We leave everything and hold the children, then lie on the ground to avoid the bullets hitting around us. Everyone is terrified, especially the children,” she said. The gunfire also disrupts Palestinians' efforts to secure basic necessities, including food and water.

“Sometimes while we are waiting in queues for water and food, Israeli tanks and quadcopter drones start shooting directly towards us,” Zaid said. “Everyone panics. We lie on the ground at the side of the road, watching the aid trucks carrying our food and water drive away to escape the bullets. On those days, we don't have anything to eat or drink.” Nowhere to go The pattern of daily Israeli shootings near the Yellow Line, alongside the ongoing expansion of Israel’s buffer zone in Gaza, raised questions among families about whether the gunfire is as random as it appears.

Many believe that the shootings appear to form part of a military tactic to force Palestinian families out of their homes and tents, allowing Israel to expand its control over more territory through force. In the year following the ceasefire, Israeli control over Gaza grew from 53 to 70 percent , reflecting what the Palestinians describe as a systematic policy of territorial expansion. Families living near the Yellow Line said the threat of stray bullets had forced several others to leave their camps.

“Watching families leave our camp every day makes us feel even more afraid. We wish we could move away from the bullets, but we have nowhere to go,” Shereen told MEE. “Even if we had somewhere to go, we can't afford the extremely expensive cost of transportation.” With few options for escape, some families have resorted to building small sand barriers and digging trench-like holes inside and between their tents to shelter from the bullets.

Shadi Siam dug a trench for his family next to their tent to take cover from Israeli gunfire (Abdallah al-Naami/MEE) Next to his tent, Shadi Siam dug a small trench to protect his family of five. “I fear for my children's lives every time I hear Israeli stray bullets flying low,” Siam told MEE. “My children wake up terrified, and I carry them to the hole where we all hide for two to five hours until the shooting stops,” he added. “I don't know how I will protect them when the winter comes, and the hole becomes unusable.”

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