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Rabat — Two weeks ago, a harrowing video started circulating on social media showing a young girl walking through flames.
On May 26, Israel bombed the Fahmi al-Jarjawi school in Gaza, setting it ablaze as displaced Palestinians—survivors of 19 months of genocide—slept inside. The strike on the school-turned-shelter killed 36 people, mostly women and children.
Horrific scenes circulated online in the aftermath. Survivors, overwhelmed and frantic, scrambled to extinguish the flames and save the last remnants of their families—only to recover charred bodies and burned human remains.
Among the chaos, a video showed a haunting image: a small figure of what appeared to be a young girl, walking through the burning school. Later footage confirmed the child’s survival, carried in the arms of first responder Hussein Abu Faisal.
Four-year-old Warda had walked through fire to escape death, miraculously surviving the attack that killed the rest of her family. Her last goodbye to them was engulfed in flames.
Two weeks later, the IOF killed both Abu Faisal and Moamen Abu al-Ouf—the photojournalist who had documented those very scenes, including Warda’s rescue. The same strike also killed paramedics Hussein Abu Faisal, Wael al-Attar, and Bara’ Afanah on June 9, as they attempted to save civilians wounded in a previous Israeli airstrike.
The double-tap method—deliberately striking the same target area twice to kill rescuers—has been a hallmark of Israel’s doctrine in Gaza.
Palestinians gathered to bid farewell to the murdered medics and journalists. “You have made us proud, I swear we are very proud of you,” said Fares Afanah, head of the emergency and ambulance services in Gaza and father of Bara’ Afanah.
“My sons Bara’, Hussein and Wael they’re our gift to God […] We know very well at every mission that we will bid farewell to those dear to our hearts,” he added, affirming that Israel’s crimes only deepen Palestinians’ commitment to their people.
The community also mourned Moamen Abu al-Ouf, who regularly accompanied paramedics to document their life-saving work—and the atrocities they faced.
“The Israeli Occupation Forces have targeted journalists and paramedics that save lives […] Moamen Abu al-Ouf has documented a lot of the atrocities in Jabalia camp, in Beit Lahiya and in Beit Hanoun and was a witness to them, but the occupation army has targeted him to kill the witness and the rescuer,” said journalist Anas Al-Sharid.
Crimes against humanity
Israel has killed over 1,400 healthcare workers in Gaza during its 20-month genocide. Paramedics have been kidnapped, bombed inside hospitals, and deliberately targeted in marked ambulances. The IOF’s relentless attacks on civilians and infrastructure, combined with the ongoing blockade, have collapsed Gaza’s healthcare system.
“What I feel most is helplessness. All this time has passed, and yet we still stand in front of patients, and we can’t help watching them die. We live under constant threat. Nowhere is safe. At any moment, we could be targeted. As medical teams, we’ve lost so many. I myself lost my mother, and many other relatives as well,” said Dr. Khaled al-Shawa, capturing the pain felt by both the rescuers and those they try to save.
The IOF’s war on journalism is just as vicious. The Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) has confirmed that at least 184 journalists have been killed by Israel since October 2023 across Gaza, the West Bank, and Lebanon. Other sources put the number in Gaza alone at 225.
Israel’s genocide has turned many ordinary Palestinians into citizen journalists—people with nothing left to do but document their own annihilation, hoping that at least their deaths will not fall on deaf ears.
