Bana Alabed disappeared from the social network on Sunday amid an Assad regime offensive to retake rebel-held areas of eastern Aleppo.
Bana, a seven-year-old girl whose Twitter postings have offered the world a glimpse into the deprivation and violence in the besieged city of Aleppo, sparked worldwide concern about her safety when her account was abruptly shut down on Sunday night.
However, a new tweet appeared on Monday, apparently from her mother, saying there was still grave danger. “Under attack. Nowhere to go, every minute feels like death. Pray for us. Goodbye – Fatemah #Aleppo.”
Bana Alabed, whose twitter account was managed by her mother Fatemah, has had over 210,000 followers since joining the social media site in September. She posted pictures and videos of life during the nearly six-year conflict.
Last week, Fatemah posted tweets, including a picture of Bana covered in dust, describing the bombardment of their house as government forces advanced on the eastern rebel-held parts of the city. She later told Reuters the family were staying with neighbors while they looked for another house.
On Sunday, Bana told her followers in a tweet: “We are sure the army is capturing us now. We will see each other another day dear world. Bye. -Fatemah #Aleppo.”
Author JK Rowling was among those who used Twitter to call for information about Bana’s whereabouts on Sunday. Ms Rowling sent Bana an entire set of Harry Potter eBooks after the young girl posted that she liked to read “to forget the war.”
The family, which includes Bana’s two younger brothers, were in the eastern section of the city, under ferocious onslaught by the Assad regime as well as it Russian and Iranian allies since November 15. (Source: Syrian Coalition’s Media Office)
