Final text sent by ‘brilliant’ London student before being killed under Gaza rubble

Dr Maisara Alrayes was killed alongside his family in Gaza

Tributes have poured in for a ‘brilliant’ former London student who has been killed after an Israeli bombardment on his home in Gaza.

For 30 hours, Dr Maisara Alrayyes, an alumnus SOAS University and King’s College London, and his family were trapped under the heavy slabs of concrete after an air raid.

Emergency services struggled to reach them and free them in time amid the siege imposed by Israel.

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Dr Alrayes returned home to Gaza after graduating from a masters degree in women’s and children’s health in London

KCL’s Justice for Palestine society said that the 30-year-old had sent a text to them before communications cut off.

‘In the last few days, I’m starting to feel more terrified than ever. I imagine myself underneath the rubble, and I have a great fear of staying alive under the rubble,’ it read.

It is understood his brothers Muayyad and Muhammad were also massacred while trying to extract him and the rest of the family from under the rubble after staying for two days.

Anas Ismail said: ‘My best friend Maisara Alrayyes and his family were killed in an Israeli airstrike two days ago.

People gather by the rubble of a building that collapsed after Israeli bombardment (Picture: AFP)

Buildings destroyed in Israeli airstrikes on Bureij refugee camp (Picture: AP)

‘His two brothers who survived have been trying to get the bodies from under the rubble.

‘Another airstrike killed the two brothers while they were getting the bodies out.’

A tribute by Ahmed Alnaouq before the doctor’s death was announced, said: ‘My best friend Maisara came to London two months ago for his honeymoon.

‘He was lively and happy and joyful. Now it is more than 30 hours since his home was bombed. No one can retrieve his body or the bodies of his family from under the rubble.’

A Palestinian civil defence member uses a hammer to carve open a hole in the concrete surface of a building while searching for survivors (Picture: AFP)

People search for survivors and the bodies of victims through the rubble of a building (Picture: AFP)

The following day, Ahmed wrote: ‘I am losing my mind. Israel bombed the house of my friend Maisara and killed all those who were inside three days ago.

‘But two of his brothers were not inside. Now I received the news that Israel ALSO killed his two remaining brothers.’

Metro.co.uk has not been able to independently verify the claims.

Another friend Alanda Kariza wrote: ‘Rest in power, my friend.

‘A doctor who dedicated his whole life for Gaza. You have done so much and I am sorry the world failed you.’

Dr Alrayyes’ death was announced earlier today by the Foreign Office in a post on Twitter.

The Palestinian doctor graduated from a masters in women and children’s health in 2020, according to his LinkedIn page.

A woman who claimed to have attended Dr Alrayyes’ wedding in Gaza earlier this year described him as a ‘very strong and sensitive’ person.

She said: ‘After graduating, he returned to Gaza to Gaza to provide women and children there with better healthcare.

‘He was a bright young man who had a long and beautiful future in front of his eyes.’

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