A one-month-old girl was rescued from the rubble in Gaza after an Israeli airstrike killed her parents.
On Thursday, as rescuers sifted through the debris of a collapsed apartment in Khan Younis, they heard the cries of a baby beneath the wreckage.
Israeli strikes across Gaza kill at least 40, Say Hospitals
Amidst shouts of “God is great,” a man emerged carrying the infant, wrapped in a blanket, and handed her to waiting paramedics. Despite being alive, the baby girl showed signs of distress as the paramedics checked her over.
Her family, including her brother, mother, and father, perished in the airstrike. Rescuers noted that the baby had been trapped under the rubble since dawn. Hazen Attar, a civil defense worker, said, “She had been crying, then falling silent until we were able to free her.”
The infant, identified as Ella Osama Abu Dagga, was born just 25 days earlier, during a fragile ceasefire that many hoped would end the ongoing conflict in Gaza, which has claimed tens of thousands of lives and displaced nearly the entire population.
The girl's grandparents were the only survivors from the family. The airstrike also claimed the lives of a neighboring family, including a father and his seven children. Rescuers were seen recovering the body of one of the children from the wreckage.
Israel resumed airstrikes on Gaza on Tuesday, ending the ceasefire and reigniting the conflict. Israel cited Hamas's rejection of a new ceasefire proposal as the reason for the renewed fighting.
Since the resumption of strikes, nearly 600 people have been killed in Gaza, with the majority being women and children, according to Gaza's Health Ministry.
The strike that destroyed the girl's home targeted Abasan al-Kabira, a village near the Gaza-Israel border, killing at least 16 people. The area had been evacuated earlier by the Israeli military.
The Israeli military insists it targets militants and blames Hamas for civilian casualties, alleging that Hamas operates within residential areas. The military did not immediately comment on the recent airstrikes.
Later, Israel reinstated a blockade on northern Gaza, including Gaza City, which had been lifted under the ceasefire agreement. The war began on October 7, 2023, when Hamas militants attacked southern Israel, killing around 1,200 people and taking 251 hostages.
Israel launches ground operation to retake key Gaza corridor
In retaliation, Israel’s air and ground assaults have resulted in nearly 49,000 Palestinian deaths, according to Gaza’s Health Ministry. Israel claims to have killed around 20,000 militants, though it has not provided evidence.