Girl miraculously survives after being presumed dead in morgue freezer for 8 hours

A night last year in the life of 12-year-old Raghad al-Assar from Gaza became a nightmare. She was taken to a morgue in Gaza presumed dead in an Israeli attack. Her body lay unconscious on a cold slab for eight hours.

Raghad told Al Jazeera, "We were sitting at home like everyone else. Suddenly, bullets, warplanes and drones rained down on us."

Raghad luckily survived after being sent to the morgue. A Palestinian man who was looking for his daughter's body noticed Raghad's fingers moving and quickly alerted doctors. It was later learned that she was still alive. Raghad said, "I was in a coma for two weeks. When I regained consciousness, my family told me that I was kept in the morgue freezer."

Raghad's two sisters lost their lives in the attack on June 8, 2024. Other family members were also seriously injured. Raghad's older sister is still in critical condition - she is blind in one eye, has deep wounds, burns and stomach complications.

Raghad's father, Mohammed al-Assar, said he rushed home from work after hearing the news of the attack. After searching for hours in the rubble, Raghad was nowhere to be found. He later went to the hospital and learned that she had been taken to the morgue, presumed dead.

"Raghad's mental health has completely changed after this incident. She would suddenly faint while walking, and she would be afraid of even the slightest noise," he said.

Raghad said she regularly had nightmares and would tremble in fear whenever she heard the sound of war. Her wish was to go abroad for treatment. "I want to go abroad for treatment. This is my dream. It is the right of a child to live abroad like other people," Raghad said.

The two-year Israeli bombardment of Gaza has destroyed many health facilities and killed hundreds of doctors, collapsing the territory's medical infrastructure. Although Hamas and Israel agreed to a ceasefire last month, Israel has continued its attacks in the Strip, killing at least 260 people since the ceasefire began on October 10.

According to the United Nations, nearly 64,000 children in Gaza have been killed or injured in Israeli attacks. At least 69,187 Palestinians have been killed and 170,703 injured in the Israeli offensive since October 2023.

Source: Al Jazeera