An Israeli air strike on Sunday in southern Gaza’s Rafah region struck Leen Matar’s neighborhood as she was playing at her grandparents’ house.
He was trapped before the neighbors were able to smash down the door and rescue the 11-year-old child of the nearby three-story building.
While lying on a bed at the Abu Yousef al-Najjar Hospital in Rafah, Matar spoke about the incident. “Suddenly, the ceiling fell on us. We started crying and I hugged my aunt who was injured. We were calling our neighbors to rescue us, but the door was above us. A few minutes later, the [neighbors] came and rescued us,” Matar said. “I’m thankful that my injuries is stable, but I’m still terrified and shocked”.
In the attack on the heavily populated neighborhood, fifty additional Palestinians suffered injuries.
On the third day after the attack, Matar’s father, Wael, who was seated next to her in the hospital room, said he was attempting to assist her in releasing the stress.
Since her grandmother’s house stands next to the one that was attacked, when the attack occurred, asbestos from her grandmother’s crumbling home fell on them.
