Israeli Airstrike in Gaza Kills Nine Children of Palestinian Doctor

 Israeli Airstrike in Gaza Kills Nine Children of Palestinian Doctor

In Gaza, controlled by the Palestinian armed resistance group Hamas, an Israeli airstrike on a residential building claimed the lives of nine out of ten children of a female doctor. According to a BBC report, the doctor worked at Nasser Hospital in Khan Younis. Hospital authorities confirmed that Dr. Alaa Al-Najjar’s husband and one of their children survived with injuries.

British surgeon Dr. Graeme Groom, who also works at the hospital, told the BBC: “This is unbearable cruelty. A doctor who has worked for years helping children has now lost almost all her own.”

The Israeli military stated it had carried out airstrikes on suspected locations in Khan Younis on Friday. Video footage showed charred bodies being retrieved from rubble, and the BBC verified the authenticity of the footage. The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) claimed Khan Younis to be a high-risk war zone and stated that civilians were evacuated before operations began.

In a Saturday statement, the IDF reported over 100 targets were struck across Gaza. The Gaza Health Ministry claimed that 74 people were killed in the strikes.

Director of the ministry, Dr. Munir Al-Bursh, stated on social media platform X that the strike occurred just after Dr. Al-Najjar’s husband had dropped her off at work and returned home.

Their eldest child was 12 years old. Groom added that the children's father, also a doctor, was critically injured and had no political or military ties, nor any notable social media presence. He said the surviving child is 11 years old and had a nearly severed left arm. “Because both his parents are doctors, he may have had better access to care in Gaza,” Groom noted. “But on the operating table, he saw himself as even younger than 11. The boy may survive, but we don’t know the father’s condition,” he added.

Mahmoud Basal, spokesperson for Gaza’s Civil Defense, said via Telegram on Friday that eight bodies and several injured persons were recovered from Al-Najjar’s house. Initially, the hospital reported the deaths of eight children, but two hours later, the toll rose to nine.

Dr. Yousef Abu Al-Rish, another doctor and relative of the Al-Najjar family, came to the operating room to support them. Speaking to AFP, he pleaded, “Enough is enough. Have mercy on us. We urge all countries, the international community, the people, Hamas, and everyone — forgive us. We’re devastated, homeless, and starving.”

On Friday, UN Secretary-General António Guterres declared the Gaza war to be in its “cruellest chapter yet” and condemned Israel’s blockade on humanitarian aid.

Israel has slightly eased the blockade this week. Its military agency reported that 83 trucks carrying food, medicine, and other essentials entered Gaza on Friday.

The UN continues to stress that this is insufficient for Gaza’s 2.1 million people. At least 500–600 aid trucks are needed daily to meet basic needs.

Due to the scarcity of food, chaos has erupted in Gaza. Armed attacks on aid convoys have occurred, and people are rushing shops in desperation for bread.

Earlier this month, the UN warned of famine risk. Many Gazans told the BBC they have no food, and malnourished mothers are unable to breastfeed their infants.

The water crisis is also intensifying, and the number of displaced persons continues to rise due to ongoing operations. Israel maintains that these strikes are intended to increase pressure on Hamas.

Giant and Brutal Israel has also accused Hamas of stealing humanitarian aid.