In a tragic incident that drew global attention, Israel targeted the Fahmi al-Jerjawi School in the al-Daraj area of Gaza City, where many displaced civilians were taking refuge. The nighttime attack on Monday killed 31 people—18 of them children. Among the few who survived was 5-year-old Ward Sheikh Khalil.

“I was in class, sleeping. When I woke up, the flames were rising. I came out of the flames. My father’s face was burned. I was very scared and I still don’t know how I survived,” Ward said after being rescued by civil defense teams. She also shared the devastating loss of her family: “They killed my mother, my sister Amal, my brothers Abdurrahman and Mohammed.”

Her uncle, Basil Sheikh Khalil, recounted the moment he rushed to the Baptist Hospital after the attack. “The school was housing my brother’s family. I found the bodies burned and unrecognizable. It was a miracle Ward survived. Thank God He protected him and kept her alive,” he said.

Basil added that one of Ward’s brothers, Sirac, was injured, while 13-year-old Muhammed, and her sisters Silvan (13), Maria (11), and Amal (2.5) died in the attack.

He condemned the international silence, stating: “Why are these children targeted? Where is the Arab and Islamic world? Where is the USA? The cause of this war is the USA. The USA and Trump could stop this war with just one word.”

The story of Ward walking through fire has resonated deeply around the world as a symbol of both unimaginable loss and miraculous survival in the ongoing war in Gaza.

Muhammed Rabah