Watan-“I was left under the rubble, screaming and calling for help until the civil defense arrived,” recounts 13-year-old Palestinian girl Marah in a tragic account of her experience during the prolonged Israeli war on Gaza, where her family’s home was bombarded for hours.
In a video shared by activists on social media, Marah says, “I was under the rubble, screaming and calling until the civil defense came, and I was conscious. I tried to lift myself with my hands, but I couldn’t do much.”
“The stones were hot on me”
She continues her narrative, “My other leg remained under the rubble, and I kept asking for help. I tried to lift the rubble myself, but I couldn’t do much. They managed to pull me out and took me to the hospital.”
Marah goes on to describe the moments before the bombardment, “We were in the room, drinking milk and eating biscuits. My aunt and uncle went to take a shower, and then the house was bombed. The civil defense came and rescued us. I couldn’t breathe well. I was breathing, but there was sand and stones on me.”
And she concluded, “The stones were hot, and I couldn’t. I couldn’t lift the rubble, and my hands got injured. Every time I tried to lift the stones, they became too hot for me.”
Massacres against civilians during the war on Gaza
During its war on the Gaza Strip, the Israeli occupation committed massacres against civilians, including children, women, and the elderly. This was carried out through the bombardment of residential neighborhoods, homes, schools, and churches, targeting the inhabitants without prior warning.
In addition, Israeli forces besieged many hospitals in Gaza and the north, rendering them inoperative due to artillery targeting. This resulted in the deaths of hundreds of civilians and doctors inside these facilities.
Efforts by Qatar, Egypt, and the United States led to the announcement of a temporary humanitarian ceasefire between the Palestinian resistance and the Israeli occupation, scheduled to end on Thursday morning. As part of the ceasefire, there will be a release of prisoners, including children and women, from Israeli prisons in exchange for the release of Israeli civilian prisoners held by the Palestinian resistance in Gaza.
Humanitarian aid, including food and fuel, will also be delivered during the temporary humanitarian ceasefire, with 200 trucks per day passing through the Rafah border crossing in the south of the Gaza Strip.
According to preliminary figures from the Gaza government’s media office, more than 15,000 Palestinians have been killed, the majority of whom were civilians, and around 33,000 have sustained various injuries during the Israeli war on Gaza.