One of the collapsed walls in the Gaza Strip bears the names of three children: Omar, Abdullah, and Masa, written in red to indicate the place where they were buried alive during an Israeli airstrike on the Palestinian territory in November, according to their relatives. Mohamed Abu Awida, a relative of the three children whose bodies are still under the rubble, stated that the trio was among 16 children killed in the strike, with one being his 18-month-old son, whose body has been recovered from the debris. Health authorities in Gaza estimate that around 40% of the dead are under the age of 18.
They were playing. Ziad Mansour, a neighbor, recalls watching the Abu Awida children play from his balcony. He said, "14 children in this house vanished in the blink of an eye. We know for certain that they have returned to the Almighty."
Mohamed Al-Mughayer from the Civil Defense in Gaza mentioned that residents are calling for help to retrieve children from under the rubble in some areas, including northern Gaza, but accessing them is difficult due to military operations. He added that rescue workers are facing challenges, including "the psychological aspect for the Civil Defense teams that are dealing directly with the bodies and with citizens who have been under the rubble for more than two months." He also stated, "We are suffering from limited resources and the unavailability of machinery and bulldozers."
