Children Blown Onto Rooftops: Israeli Airstrike in Gaza Kills Entire Family, Leaves One Child Clinging to Life
A powerful Israeli airstrike in central Gaza’s Al-Yarmouk neighborhood scatters children’s bodies across rooftops. A surviving boy, ejected by the blast, is left injured and alone as his entire family perishes.
Watan-In a horrifying scene, Palestinian activists and journalists documented a video showing children’s bodies thrown onto the rooftop of a home due to a powerful Israeli airstrike on the Al-Yarmouk neighborhood in central Gaza. The attack, which used high-explosive bombs, left a trail of devastation.
The widely shared video showed wounded children and body parts of others lying atop a nearby building, depicting one of the most graphic images of the genocide Palestinians have faced since October 7, 2023.
Shocking Scenes
Among the most gut-wrenching visuals was the remains of a small girl thrown onto a neighboring rooftop. Only half her body was visible, stuck to the concrete, drenched in blood. She wore a pink dress smeared with dust and ash. Her hair swayed in the dusty wind stirred up by the bombing. Not far away, another wounded child was also thrown onto the same roof, bleeding from his head.
The boy cried faintly for help. His mother screamed, searching for him in the rubble, unaware that he was still alive, lying atop a neighbor’s house, badly hurt and traumatized. He was her only remaining child after the same strike took the lives of her husband, other children, her brother and his kids, and her sister’s family.
“My Whole Family Flew Apart”
Nusiba Shahto, the boy’s mother, spoke with Anadolu Agency in emotional agony. “The Israeli airstrike destroyed our home completely, killed my husband and all my children. Only one son survived—he was thrown onto a neighbor’s rooftop by the blast,” she said.
Holding back tears, she added, “Everyone in the house died—my husband, my children, my brother and his children, my sister and hers. Only one child lived, thrown by the explosion. Thank God he was alive, but he’s in critical condition.”
Witnesses described the explosion as massive, believing the Israeli army dropped highly destructive bombs, obliterating the house and launching victims’ bodies dozens of meters away—some landing on the upper floors of nearby buildings.
A Harvard University study on October 23, 2024, confirmed Israel’s use of U.S.-made Mark 84 bombs, capable of leveling entire buildings.
Outside a hospital in Gaza, the devastated mother continued: “My son’s name is Ali Faraj. He’s now in surgery. He suffered stomach injuries and underwent a difficult operation.” She pleaded with the world: “Save what remains of our people. We don’t want to lose more lives. We’re human. We are tired of the destruction and death.”
Thousands of Children Killed
On April 18, the Palestinian Center for Human Rights confirmed that women and children make up the majority of casualties since Israel resumed its war on Gaza on March 18, 2025—reporting 595 children and 308 women killed during that period alone.
Documenting the Crime in Gaza
Anadolu later visited the surviving child, Ali Faraj, now recovering at the Kuwaiti Hospital in Gaza. In a weak voice and dazed expression, Ali said: “The walls collapsed, and I fell. I don’t know what happened. I was with my father… then there was a loud explosion, and I was thrown away.”
Ali couldn’t remember more from the now-viral video, except being with his father, who “was martyred in the house.” After a long pause, he added, “I woke up in the hospital. My head hurts… and my stomach too.”
As of March 24, 2025, Gaza’s Health Ministry reported that 15,613 children have been killed in the ongoing genocide, making up 31% of all recorded deaths. It also noted 33,900 children injured, accounting for nearly 30% of the wounded. Since Israel resumed its war on March 18, 1,928 more people have been killed and 5,055 wounded, mostly women and children.
Meanwhile, more than 2.4 million Palestinians in Gaza continue to suffer under a complete blockade, amid a catastrophic humanitarian crisis and a total collapse of healthcare services, with border crossings shut for the 55th consecutive day.
