Mariam Abu Akel's skin was grey with dust and she made little sound as rescuers reached deep into the rubble to grab her legs and lift her up.
Palestinian girl Mariam Abu Akel and her brother Hamed are rescued from the rubble in Rafah, Gaza Strip on December 29, 2023. Photo: Reuters
Gaza health ministry spokesman Ashraf al-Qidra said Israeli air strikes killed 20 people and wounded 55 in the area.
Mariam's mother and sister were killed in the attack along with the rest of the family. Her father and toddler brother, Hamed, survived the blast.
When Mariam was freed, a rescuer carried her in his arms to hospital. Rafah hospitals are now receiving a steady stream of wounded people being brought out of bombed homes every night.
In the hospital, children lie on the floor, receiving treatment. A boy with a bandage around his head and blood running down his face is crying. Next to him is another boy with a brace around his neck, and two girls lying on stretchers.
Israel says it is doing what it can to protect civilians, and says Hamas is responsible for the harm that has occurred. Hamas denies this.
Most of Gaza's population has been forced to flee their homes in devastating bombing raids and a ground offensive that Israel says is aimed at destroying Hamas.
According to health authorities in the area, Israel's retaliatory attacks have killed more than 21,500 Palestinians, many of them children under 18 years old.
Mai Anh (according to Reuters)
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