The cries of rescuers wearing orange vests echoed as they found a baby still alive under the rubble of an Israeli airstrike on the city of Rafah in the Gaza Strip after yet another night of bombardment on the Palestinian enclave. The skin of baby Maryam Abu Aqel was covered in ashes, and she did not cry as rescuers dug deeper into the debris to free her legs and pull her out.
People gathered around the wreckage of the Abu Adwan family home, where Maryam's family had sought shelter after fleeing their house in a more dangerous area near the border with Israel. Palestinian Health Ministry spokesperson Ashraf al-Qudra stated that the airstrike resulted in the deaths of 20 people and injuries to 55 others. The Abu Adwan home accommodated many displaced families, including that of Abu Aqel.
Maryam's sister and mother were killed in the airstrike, along with members of the Abu Adwan family and others from families living with them temporarily. Her father and her young brother Hamid survived the explosion. When Maryam was rescued from under the rubble, a rescuer rushed her to the hospital in his arms. Doctors worked to clean her wounds.
