Israeli troops fired warning shots at a man approaching the restricted buffer zone in Gaza after he allegedly ignored calls to stop, according to the Israeli military. The man was later found to be carrying his toddler son. The military said the man identified himself as a member of the Palestinian militant group and admitted he had brought the child as a human shield.

Both father and son sustained light injuries from shrapnel, the military said, adding that the toddler received medical care, food and was later transferred to the International Committee of the Red Cross in stable condition.

Relatives, however, told a Qatar based television network that the father had been suffering psychological distress after losing his livelihood and had accidentally wandered toward the restricted area. They disputed the claim that he was acting as a militant and denied that he used his son as a shield.

The child’s condition remains a central point of contention. While the military said video shows the toddler conscious and stable during the handover, relatives and doctors in Gaza alleged the boy suffered severe leg injuries inconsistent with shrapnel wounds and suggested possible abuse, an accusation the military dismissed as baseless propaganda.