A five-year-old Palestinian girl was rescued from a burning apartment in Gaza City after an Israeli airstrike killed her mother, Reem Awad, and left the child with burns to her face and body. Maryam Ahmed Ghanem had already lost her father earlier in Israel’s war on Gaza, leaving her orphaned following the latest attack.
The strike hit an apartment building on al-Nasr Street in the al-Rimal neighbourhood, west of Gaza City, in the early hours of Wednesday, 14 October. Flames and thick smoke engulfed the building, trapping Maryam inside as rescuers struggled to reach her.
Palestinian journalist Ali al-Jaafrawi, who was at al-Shifa Hospital when he heard an Israeli helicopter overhead followed by an explosion, rushed to the scene before emergency crews arrived. He entered the burning apartment despite the fire and smoke, found Maryam crying inside and carried her to people who could take her to hospital.
Al-Jaafrawi then returned to try to rescue others and document the attack, but was overcome by smoke and lost consciousness. He later said he had seen a woman on fire inside the apartment. Maryam’s mother was killed, while at least two other people, including a child, were wounded and taken to al-Shifa Hospital. The bombing also damaged neighbouring buildings.
The attack took place despite the ceasefire that came into effect in October 2025. At least 1,498 Palestinians had been killed and more than 5,300 wounded in Israeli attacks since the ceasefire began.
The incident has renewed attention on the devastating toll of continued attacks on Gaza’s children, many of whom have been killed, injured or left without parents. Gaza’s healthcare system also faces critical shortages of medicines and medical supplies, while restrictions on movement prevent many seriously wounded Palestinians from accessing treatment abroad.
