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14 May 2025 8:59
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  •   Home > News > International

    Ali Faraj Faraj miraculously survives Israeli missile strike in Gaza that kills his family

    Seven-year-old Ali Faraj Faraj, covered in blood and dust, could be seen crying amongst the rubble of a home in Gaza City. His father and five sisters were killed in the strike on Thursday.


    Moments after a missile blasted apart a Gaza City home, and as the dust settled, a sign of life appeared amongst the rubble.

    Cutting through the ash-grey scene was a flash of blood red.

    A little hand reached into the air, waving for help. And then the sound of a small child wailing in distress could be heard.

    Seven-year-old Ali Faraj Faraj was sitting helplessly on top of a neighbouring building, thrown from the building where his family were sheltering due to the intensity of the blast.

    His father's lifeless body was just few feet away. The dismembered remains of his five-year-old sister, wearing a pink dress, lay nearby.

    Ali's four other sisters were also killed.

    But he miraculously survived the Israeli strike on Thursday, along with his mother.

    The video of this moment he was found, recorded by Palestinian journalist Mahmoud Shalha, quickly spread around the world on social media.

    "I was sitting with my father, my sisters were playing, suddenly our house was bombed," he told the ABC from his hospital bed.

    "I was sitting in my father's arms, then I found myself flying to the neighbour's roof."

    Ali's bravery, beyond his years, has been on display in the days since the blast. He has had to have surgery to remove metal shrapnel from his small body and to treat his broken leg.

    His mother is distraught. She had been cooking for the family when the missile hit the home they had been sheltering in on Al-Yarmouk Street. They moved there after fleeing nearby Shejaya.

    "When I went out to see what happened I found there was no walls, no basement, and I started calling them by names — no-one answered me." Nuha Mahmoud Shattu said.

    Then she heard her son calling for her, as rescue crews tried to reach him.

    As Nuha was taken to an ambulance, suffering burns from the heat of the explosion, the loss of her family dawned on her.

    Ali is her only surviving child. Her daughters Zeina, Leen, Razan, Suaad and Jouri, aged between 2 and 14, were all killed in the attack.

    Her brother and sister, their children and her parents also perished.

    "I couldn't say goodbye," she said.

    "The rocket came and cut them all into pieces.

    "I thank our God I still have Ali. The smell of his father, he will be with me by my side, thank you God."

    Ali's uncle Hamza Ali Faraj said between 15 and 20 people were killed in the Israeli strike.

    The IDF has been issuing evacuation warnings for large swathes of the Gaza strip, ahead of air strikes.

    Hamza said there was no warning of this attack. The IDF's Arabic spokesman's X account, where maps and notices are posted, also does not show any advance notice.

    "I say to the world this is not justice, it's a crime against humanity," Hamza said.

    "You hit a house where there are no wanted individuals in it, it's only children, women and civilians — people who have no connection to what they claim.

    "[Israel] targeting a house in an aggressive, crazy way — it's a thing humanity doesn't expect or imagine."

    The ABC asked the IDF a series of questions about the strike, including whether notice was given, what type of munitions were used considering the significant damage to the building, and why it was targeted.

    The IDF said it was seeking further details about the strike from commanders in Gaza.

    "Hamas has a documented practice of operating from, nearby, underneath and within densely populated area," it said in a statement.

    "The IDF's strikes on military targets are subject to relevant provisions of international law, including the taking of feasible precautions and after an assessment that the expected incidental damage to civilians and civilian property is not excessive in relation to the expected military advantage from the attack."

    © 2025 ABC Australian Broadcasting Corporation. All rights reserved

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