Hala Arafat, died while Israel blocked rescuers from a demolished building where she was trapped

Of the 13 people killed by an Israeli airstrike in Gaza City’s Tuffah neighborhood on July 14, only one is included in the Gaza health officials’ compilation of the more than 60,000 dead. That’s because hers was the only body recovered. 

According to a Washington Post report, emergency personnel and relatives said the Israeli military prevented rescue workers from reaching the site for roughly eight hours, targeting those who tried with drone strikes, as footage shared by Arafat’s family showed her trapped and begging for rescue. “I can’t take this for much longer,” she whimpered. “Save me.”

The Israeli military said the strike had targeted “several key Islamic Jihad terrorists” and claimed it had taken steps to mitigate the risk of harm to civilians. 

By the time rescue workers reached the site the next day and extracted Arafat, she and her 12 relatives were dead, according to a relative, Anas Arafat. Her body was dug out, but the other 12 were not. The uncounted victims still under the rubble, whose names and ages were provided by Anas, ranged in age from Layan, 5, to Mohamed, 73.

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