Lebanon News: Toddler 'Appears' Alive In Bulldozer Shovel, 14 Hours After Being Buried By Israeli Airstrikes
Date
11/9/2024 12:00:44 AM
(MENAFN- Live Mint) Israel attacked the Lebanese capital Beirut with a new wave of powerful air strikes overnight. A miraculous survival has stunned rescuers and doctors alike in southern Lebanon, where two-year-old Ali Khalife was pulled from the rubble 14 hours after an Israeli airstrike flattened his family's apartment building.
His parents, sister, and two grandmothers were all killed in the attack on October 29, in the town of Sarafand, located just 15 kilometres south of Sidon.
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Rescuers had almost given up hope of finding any survivors when Ali was discovered in the debris. "We thought he was dead," said Hussein Khalifeh, Ali's father's uncle, speaking from a hospital in Sidon . "Then he appeared in the bulldozer's shovel, barely breathing after being trapped for 14 hours."
Ali's condition was dire; his right hand had to be amputated, and he remains under a medically induced coma.
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The strike in Sarafand destroyed an apartment complex, killing at least 15 people, many of whom were members of the Khalifeh family .
The attack was part of Israel's broader military campaign against Hezbollah, which has escalated since late September, shifting focus from Gaza to Lebanon. The airstrikes have killed over 3,117 people in Lebanon since the campaign began.
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At the hospital, Ali's condition remains critical, and his relatives are preparing for further surgeries to aid in his recovery. "Ali was sleeping on the couch when the strike hit," Hussein Khalifeh explained. "He's still asleep today... We are waiting for his surgeries to complete before we wake him up."
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