A toddler in Gaza was allegedly returned to his family with burns on his legs after being held by Israeli forces as conflicting accounts emerge over what happened during the 10-hour separation. Jawad Abu Nassar, aged just one year and nine months, had been with his father, a suspected Hamas operative, when they were detained in central Gaza.

He was later returned alone to his mother. According to a report by Sky News correspondent John Sparks, the child was examined after his return, with injuries raising serious concerns among medical staff. However, this is unverified. Jawad’s mother, Waad Al Shafi said: “When I took his trousers off, I saw his legs. There were entry and exit wounds right here.” She added: “It seems like they used the metal tool to pierce him, and they put out cigarettes on his little legs. We only realised the extent the next day.” Medical observations noted “marks of a similar size, in similar locations, on both legs,” with the report stating they were “marks of torture, caused in whole, or in part, by lit cigarettes.”

However, the Israel Defense Forces strongly denied the allegations of abuse and said in a statement that the claims were “completely unfounded”.

The IDF said Jawad’s father had been apprehended and “admitted to being a member of Hamas”, further alleging that he had used his son as a human shield.

Dr Bisan Ahmed, who examined Jawad, gave a detailed clinical assessment.

“I observed multiple deep, uniform lesions on his lower body, which are clinically consistent with deliberate cigarette burns used as a form of physical torture.”

She added: “These are deep second degree burns that may reach the nerves.”

The incident began a week earlier when Jawad’s father, Osama, took him to a market ahead of Eid.

Neighbours said he mistakenly headed towards an area known locally as the “yellow line” – a boundary separating parts of Gaza under Israeli control.

Witnesses said Israeli troops fired shots as the pair approached and ordered the father to put the child down.

Jawad’s grandfather, Mohammed Abu Nassar, said: “So I was ordered to put the child down, and he did it. He kept walking, leaving about 100 metres between them.”

He added: “No father would do that, not even a few steps away. It’s unimaginable. Your kid will try to come back to you.”

Family members suggested Osama may have been traumatised after losing his home and a child during his wife’s pregnancy.

“Osama wasn’t acting normally,” he said. “He seemed unaware of what he was doing.”

According to the Israeli account, the child was transferred safely to the Red Cross, with footage released showing a soldier saying: “His vitals are stable. Walking and talking, and he’s happy.”

The military acknowledged firing near the pair but said it was intended to move them away from the boundary area. It suggested the boy’s injuries may have been caused by debris.

The gunfire “will have likely cause splinters”, resulting in minor injuries, they said.

Jawad’s father remains missing following the incident.

For now, the toddler is back with his family – but, according to the report, he is “too rattled to leave the front door.”