Key facts
- Seven-year-old Abdulrahman Azzam and his nine-year-old sister Ferial were pulled alive from a collapsed building in Gaza.
- Abdulrahman's mother, Islam Azzam, and his three-year-old brother Rizq were killed in the incident.
- The building, known as Saada, had been damaged by Israeli strikes and was at risk of collapse.
- At least 70 displaced people, mostly children, were seeking shelter in the building.
- The collapse killed 21 people in total, including 12 children, and injured 45 others.
- Abdulrahman and Ferial are suffering from psychological trauma following the event.
A week after being pulled from beneath the rubble of a collapsed building in Gaza, seven-year-old Abdulrahman Azzam remains deeply traumatised, reliving the moment the ceiling came crashing down on him, his mother and siblings. His father, Iyad Azzam, told Middle East Eye that only Abdulrahman and his nine-year-old sister, Ferial, were pulled alive from the rubble after being trapped for hours. His mother, Islam Azzam, who was seven months pregnant, and his three-year-old brother, Rizq, were killed in the collapse.
The family had been living in a tent in Gaza City after their home was destroyed in Israeli strikes. The building, known as Saada, had already been damaged by Israeli strikes in 2023 and was at risk of collapse. At least 70 displaced people, most of them children, sought shelter there after losing their homes to Israeli bombardment. The six-storey building collapsed in less than 10 seconds, killing 21 people, including 12 children, and injuring 45 others.
Abdulrahman sustained injuries to his arm and leg, while Ferial suffered a head injury. Their father described the psychological trauma the children are experiencing, with Abdulrahman waking up startled and raising his arm as if still trying to protect his mother. Ferial was heard pleading for her life in video footage circulated online.
Azzam stated that his father-in-law, who died in the collapse, had been living in the building with his daughters since a ceasefire took effect, as he had nowhere else to protect them. He noted that Israeli forces had damaged or destroyed an estimated 90 percent of housing units in Gaza since the conflict began in October 2023.