The Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) reported on Wednesday that Hamas allegedly sent a four-year-old Palestinian boy to one of its outposts. According to the IDF, the child was returned to Gaza in collaboration with international organizations.

“Hamas does not hesitate to exploit civilians, including children, to further its terrorist activities,” the IDF stated on X.

The IDF reported the child told soldiers Hamas had sent him, though details on how the boy knew this were not provided by Israel.

IDF International Spokesperson Lt. Col. Nadav Shoshani criticized the incident on X, asserting it highlights Hamas’ disregard for civilian safety.

“This is another reminder of Hamas’ exploitation of the Gazan people for terror,” Lt. Col. Shoshani posted.

During the October 7th attacks, Hamas killed and took Israeli children hostage. As part of a November 2023 agreement, Hamas released 30 child hostages. The fate of the final two child hostages, Ariel and Kfir Bibas, remained unknown until their deaths were confirmed in February 2025, when their bodies were returned to Israel.

“Kfir and Ariel were murdered in cold blood. The terrorists didn’t shoot them—they killed them with their bare hands. Then, they committed horrific acts to cover up their crimes,” IDF Spokesperson Rear Adm. Daniel Hagari stated following the return of the Bibas children’s remains.

Israeli U.N. Ambassador Danny Danon urged the U.N. to condemn the incident involving the four-year-old Palestinian child.

“Hamas harbors genocidal hatred toward Israelis and disregards the well-being of Gazans, using vulnerable individuals as human shields and pawns in conflict. This is reprehensible and warrants strong condemnation from the United Nations secretary-general,” Ambassador Danon stated.

Just last week, the U.N. faced criticism regarding a draft report on children in conflict zones for seemingly omitting accounts of Israeli victims.

In the report’s section addressing Israeli and Palestinian children, the U.N. included both verified and unverified information. While acknowledging the presence of unverified data, the report lacked transparency regarding the verification process for other figures, raising concerns about its overall accuracy.