Gaza Pediatricians Lose Nine Children in Israeli Airstrike: A Devastating Tragedy
Khan Younis, Gaza, May 24, 2025 – Dr. Alaa al-Najjar and her husband, Dr. Hamdi al-Najjar, both dedicated pediatricians at Nasser Medical Complex in southern Gaza, suffered an unimaginable loss on Friday, May 23, when an Israeli airstrike targeted their family home in Khan Younis. Nine of their ten children were killed, most of their bodies charred beyond recognition, while their sole surviving child and Dr. Hamdi remain in critical condition. The tragedy, reported by the Gaza Ministry of Health and Gaza Civil Defense, has sent shockwaves through the region and sparked outrage over the targeting of healthcare workers and their families.
A Day of Unfathomable Loss
Dr. Alaa, 38, was working in the emergency room at Nasser Hospital, a facility overwhelmed by casualties from ongoing Israeli airstrikes, when the bodies of seven of her children—Yahya, Rakan, Raslan, Gebran, Eve, Rival, Sayden, Luqman, and Sidra, aged 3 to 12—arrived, most severely burned. Two more children, a 7-month-old and a 2-year-old, remained trapped under the rubble as of Saturday morning. Dr. Hamdi, who had just returned home, was also badly injured and is in intensive care alongside their surviving son, 11-year-old Adam, who underwent two surgeries. Dr. Alaa continued working despite her grief, periodically checking on her husband and son, according to Dr. Ahmad al-Farra, a colleague at Nasser Hospital.
The Gaza Ministry of Health’s Director-General, Munir al-Barsh, shared the devastating news on X, stating, “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.” Social media posts on X echoed the horror, with users like @DrMadsGilbert and @yvonneridley highlighting Dr. Alaa’s resilience as she continued her work amid personal loss, calling the incident a stark example of the ongoing “Gaza Holocaust.”
A Pattern of Targeting Medical Workers
The al-Najjars’ tragedy is not an isolated incident. Gaza’s healthcare workers have faced relentless dangers since the escalation of Israeli military operations following Hamas’s October 7, 2023, attack. The couple’s dedication to saving children in Gaza’s overburdened hospitals made their loss particularly poignant. Dr. Alaa, like many Gaza doctors, had shifted from pediatrics to emergency care to address the influx of casualties. The World Health Organization has documented over 136 attacks on healthcare facilities in Gaza since October 2023, with at least 16 health workers killed.
The targeting of medical personnel has drawn international condemnation. UN experts have called such attacks potential war crimes, citing the deliberate bombing of hospitals like Al-Ahli Arab Hospital in October 2023, which killed over 470 civilians. In 2018, Palestinian paramedic Rouzan al-Najjar, also from Khan Younis, was killed by Israeli sniper fire while tending to wounded protesters, an incident later deemed a possible war crime by a UN investigation. These incidents underscore the perilous conditions for Gaza’s medical community, who work under siege with dwindling supplies of medicine, water, and fuel.
A Family Wiped Out
The al-Najjar family’s home was in a residential neighborhood of Khan Younis, an area repeatedly struck despite being designated a “humanitarian zone” by the Israeli military. The airstrike left little chance for survival, with Gaza Civil Defense reporting that the bodies of the youngest victims remained trapped under debris. The loss of nine children, described as “charred remains” by colleagues, has left the community reeling. Dr. Al-Farra noted that Dr. Alaa’s strength in continuing her work reflects the resilience of Gaza’s medical staff, who face personal tragedies while saving others.
Posts on X captured the global outcry, with @Mizannews_En stating, “Dr. Alaa Al-Najjar is one of Gaza’s thousands of grieving parents,” and @M_shebrawy3 lamenting, “The world is blind. Complicit!” The sentiment reflects growing frustration over the lack of international action to protect Gaza’s civilians and healthcare workers.
A Broken Healthcare System
Nasser Hospital, where the al-Najjars worked, has itself been a target of Israeli raids and shelling, with generators and oxygen stations destroyed. Doctors like Dr. Omar al-Najjar (no relation), who lost his home in earlier strikes, have described performing surgeries in unsterile conditions and sleeping on hospital floors. The broader collapse of Gaza’s healthcare system, exacerbated by Israel’s siege, has left hospitals unable to cope with the volume of casualties. Dr. Iyad Issa Abu Zaher of Al-Aqsa Martyrs Hospital reported in 2023 that patients were treated on the floor due to a lack of beds.
Calls for Accountability
The al-Najjar tragedy has reignited demands for an international investigation into Israel’s military actions. UN experts have warned of potential “crimes against humanity” and a “risk of genocide” in Gaza, citing the systematic targeting of civilian infrastructure. The Israeli military insists it targets only Hamas and Islamic Jihad militants, denying the use of hospitals as “terror hubs,” though evidence supporting these claims is often inconclusive. Hamas has denied using medical facilities for military purposes.
As Dr. Alaa and Dr. Hamdi fight to save their surviving son, their story embodies the unrelenting toll of the conflict on Gaza’s civilians and healthcare workers. The loss of their nine children—Yahya, Rakan, Raslan, Gebran, Eve, Rival, Sayden, Luqman, and Sidra—stands as a grim testament to a war that continues to devastate families and communities. The international community faces renewed pressure to address the humanitarian crisis and ensure accountability for the targeting of those who dedicate their lives to saving others.