A three-year-old Palestinian girl was rescued from a burning apartment after an Israeli occupation airstrike targeted a residential building in western Gaza City, martyring her mother and leaving the child orphaned.

The dramatic rescue of Maryam Ahmed Ghanem by Palestinian journalist Ali al-Jaafarawi has drawn widespread attention on social media, highlighting once again the devastating impact of the ongoing genocide on Gaza's children.

Journalist rescues child from burning apartment

The attack occurred before dawn when Israeli occupation forces targeted an apartment in the Amin Building on Nasr Street in western Gaza City, causing a fire that engulfed the residence.

Al-Jaafarawi said he rushed to the scene after hearing the explosion while he was at Al-Shifa Hospital. Upon arriving, he heard a young child crying from inside the burning apartment.

Despite the intense flames and heavy smoke, he entered the building and managed to rescue the child, carrying her out to safety.

Sharing footage of the rescue on social media, Al-Jaafarawi said:

"At dawn, the occupation aircraft targeted an apartment in western Gaza. When I reached the building, the first thing I saw was this little girl crying amid the flames. The fire and smoke made it extremely difficult to enter, but, praise be to Allah, I managed to reach her and bring her out safely."

Mother martyred, father previously martyred

Speaking to Al Jazeera, Al-Jaafarawi said he returned to the apartment after rescuing the child because he believed there might be other people trapped inside.

He said he was affected by heavy smoke and briefly lost consciousness after seeing a woman engulfed in flames inside the apartment.

The rescued child was later identified as Maryam Ahmed Ghanem, who is only three years old.

According to Al-Jaafarawi, Maryam's father was martyred during the early months of the Israeli genocide on Gaza, while her mother was martyred in the latest airstrike, leaving the young girl without either parent.

Rescue footage sparks widespread reaction

Video footage showing Maryam being carried away from the burning apartment spread widely on social media, drawing reactions from many people who expressed grief over the suffering of Palestinian children.

The images once again highlighted the heavy toll of the ongoing attacks on Gaza's children, many of whom have lost their parents, homes and sense of security.

Maryam's rescue represented a moment of hope amid the devastation, but her story also reflected the deep humanitarian tragedy facing children in Gaza, where countless families have been torn apart by the continuing Israeli attacks.(ILKHA)