An Israeli strike on Gaza hit the home of pediatrician Dr Alaa al-Najjar and killed nine of her 10 children, while she was working. Her husband, Hamdi, was home at the time and also in critical condition in hospital.
The bodies of seven of Dr Najjar’s children were taken to the Nasser Medical Complex where she was working, according to the Ministry of Health in Gaza.
The bodies of two more of Dr Najjar’s children (a 7-month-old and a 12-year-old) remain missing. The only one of the ten children to survive was 11-year-old Adam.
Yahya, Rakan, Raslan, Gebran, Eve, Rival, Sayden, Luqman and Sidra were reported as the names of the nine children killed.
Civil defense and the health ministry say the family’s home in a neighbourhood of Khan Younis in southern Gaza, was targeted by an Israeli airstrike.
In response to the airstrike, Israel’s military said its aircraft had struck “a number of suspects” on Friday, and “the claim regarding harm to uninvolved civilians is under review”.
Gaza Civil Defense published graphic video from the scene of the strike, showing the charred remains of several children recovered from the rubble and placed into white sheets. The body of an injured man can also be seen lifted onto a stretcher by first responders.
In a condolence message, the Palestinian Ministry of Health in the Israeli-occupied West Bank said Dr Najjar will always be remembered as “the steadfast Palestinian woman and the noble doctor who heals the wounds of others while bearing her own pain in silence”.
“This horrific crime is not an isolated incident, but part of a systematic targeting of medical personnel and institutions, aimed at breaking the will of those standing steadfast in Gaza,” the statement said.
Dr Najjar, 38, is a pediatrician and has been working in the emergency room during Israel’s attacks on Gaza, as most doctors in the territory have had to do.
A niece, Dr Sahar al-Najjar, told CNN that Dr Najjar’s husband had dropped his wife at work before returning home to witness a missile strike that failed to detonate. Rushing into the house to rescue his children, Hamdi, 38, was hit by a second Israeli strike. He remains in the hospital in critical condition.
Speaking to Dr Najjar’s reaction to the tragedy, Sahar said: “Every day at work, Dr. Alaa pumped milk to provide for Sidra, and today she showed me the last bottle she prepared for her.”
“Dr. Alaa can barely speak. If you could see her face, you would understand her pain. She is only praying for her son and husband to recover.”
Also speaking to Dr Najjar’s tragic situation as she continues to work at the hospital, Munir al-Boursh, Director-General of the Ministry of Health in Gaza said: “This is the reality our medical staff in Gaza endure. Words fall short in describing the pain. In Gaza, it is not only healthcare workers who are targeted—Israel’s aggression goes further, wiping out entire families.”