Three teenage boys from Gaza were killed by an airstrike on the security fence separating Gaza and Israel. The airstrikes took place Sunday, October 28, 2018, with the funerals taking place the following Monday.

The Israeli Defense Forces or IDF stated that they opened fire because they believed that the teens were in possession of explosive devices. The IDF claimed that they believed that the explosives could be used to sabotage the security fence. When the site of the airstrike was searched by officials, however, no explosives were found. The militant group that runs Gaza believed that the claims about the explosives were fabricated.

Gaza militants believe that the boys were killed in cold blood, causing already heightened tensions to rise. The IDF claimed to not to know that the targets were Palestinian children. When relatives of the teens were asked what the boys were doing at the border, they said that they did not know. Providing an answer to that question, Sami Abu Zohri, a militant leader, stated that the teens were peacefully protesting near the eastern border.

The funerals of the boys were held on Monday, October 29, 2018. Khaled Abu Saeed, Abdu Hamid Abu Dhaner, and Muhammad al-Stari. The boys ranged in the ages of thirteen to fifteen. The three boys were wrapped in Palestinian Flags and were carried while people chanted “God is great.”

Tensions between Gaza and Israel have been high these past few months. Over 200 people have been killed in weekly conflicts along the fence. There has also been constant Israeli airstrikes and Gaza rocket fire. In the last week, 5 Palestinians were killed by clashes with Israeli soldiers along the fence, not including the 3 teens. The constant conflict has the potential to harm many other citizens.