Devastation in Khan Younis: 9 children of Gaza pediatrician killed

In a human tragedy that captures a fraction of the suffering endured by the people of Gaza due to the genocidal war, Dr. Alaa Al-Najjar, a Palestinian pediatrician, was devastated upon receiving the bodies of her nine children at the Nasser Medical Complex. The children were killed after an Israeli airstrike burned their home in southern Khan Younis.

Civil defense teams reported that the bombing completely destroyed the family’s home, causing a massive fire. They retrieved the bodies of nine martyrs, including eight fully burned children, while Dr. Hamdi Al-Najjar, Alaa’s husband, was severely injured.

Dr. Munir Al-Bursh, Director General of the Ministry of Health in Gaza, confirmed that Dr. Alaa is a pediatric specialist at Al-Tahrir Hospital within the Nasser Medical Complex and has ten children, the eldest of whom is no older than 12. She left the house with her husband, Dr. Hamdi Al-Najjar, to drop him off at work. Just minutes after his return, an Israeli missile struck their home.

Al-Bursh added that nine of their children were martyred in the attack, and only one surviving child, along with Dr. Hamdi, who is now in intensive care, were injured.

He further stated: “This is what our medical staff in Gaza endure. Words cannot describe this pain. In Gaza, not only are medical personnel targeted, but the Israeli occupiers persist in their crimes, targeting entire families.”