Gaza Pediatrician Loses Seven Children in Airstrike: A Devastating Personal and National Tragedy

 KHAN YOUNIS, GAZA – May 26, 2025 — In one of the most heart-wrenching tragedies to unfold since the start of the Gaza conflict, Dr. Alaa al-Najjar, a respected pediatrician at Nasser Medical Complex, lost seven of her ten children in an Israeli airstrike on Friday. The attack devastated her home in Khan Younis, reducing it to rubble and extinguishing almost an entire family.

That morning, as she did every day, Dr. Najjar, 35, said goodbye to her children before leaving for work. Her youngest, six-month-old Sayden, was still asleep. Amid the constant threat of bombardment, she had always feared for her children’s safety while she fulfilled her duties as one of Gaza’s few remaining pediatric specialists.

Just hours later, seven of her children’s burned and dismembered bodies arrived at the hospital where she worked. Two others, including infant Sayden, remained buried beneath the wreckage. Only one child, 11-year-old Adam, survived, along with their father, Dr. Hamdi al-Najjar, 40. Both are being treated for serious injuries at Nasser Medical Complex.

“It is one of the most heartbreaking tragedies since the beginning of the conflict,” said Mohammed Saqer, head of nursing at the hospital. “And it happened to a pediatrician who dedicated her life to saving children, only to have her own motherhood stolen in a moment of fire and deafening silence.”

Verified footage shared by Gaza’s health ministry captures the grim aftermath — rescuers pulling charred bodies from the ruins of the al-Najjar residence as fire continued to consume what remained of the building.

Ali al-Najjar, 50, Hamdi’s brother, rushed to the scene upon hearing of the airstrike. “When I arrived, I found my nephew Adam under the rubble, alive but covered in soot. His clothes were torn, but he was breathing. My brother lay bleeding nearby, his arm severed and his body riddled with shrapnel,” he recalled.

Ali transported the two survivors to the hospital and then began the grim task of locating the remaining nine children.

“The house was completely collapsed. I searched everywhere, hoping someone had been thrown clear of the explosion,” he said. “Eventually, we found the first burnt body. As the fire was extinguished, more followed — mutilated and unrecognizable.”

Dr. Najjar, upon learning of the blast, rushed to the site just as the remains of her daughter Revan were being recovered. She tearfully pleaded with rescuers to hold her one last time.

“Her body was entirely burned from the upper part — there was no skin or flesh left,” said Ali. “We’re still searching for Yahya, the 12-year-old, and baby Sayden. Their bodies have not been found.”

Back at the hospital, Najjar attempted to identify her children’s remains. According to staff, the injuries were so severe she could not recognize them.

The deceased children have been identified as Yahya, Rakan, Ruslan, Jubran, Eve, Revan, Sayden, Luqman, and Sidra.

“Alaa went to the morgue, held her children in her arms, recited the Qur’an over them, and prayed,” said Dr. Ahmed al-Farra, director of the children’s unit at Nasser hospital. “While other staff collapsed in grief, she remained composed. God sent peace upon her heart. She then returned to care for her surviving son and husband.”

Colleagues described Dr. Najjar as a dedicated, compassionate physician who managed overwhelming professional and personal responsibilities with grace. “She was always worried about her children while at the hospital,” Dr. Farra added. “When she heard a house in Qizan al-Najjar had been bombed, she immediately feared the worst.”

The al-Najjar family had been preparing to leave Gaza. With Egyptian citizenship, the children were to enroll at Cairo’s Al-Azhar University, and the family had hoped for a safer future across the border.

The Israeli Defense Forces responded with a statement:

“Yesterday, an IDF aircraft struck a number of suspects operating from a structure adjacent to IDF troops in Khan Younis, a dangerous war zone. Prior to operations, the IDF evacuated civilians for their safety. Claims regarding harm to uninvolved civilians are under review.”

According to the Gaza Health Ministry, nearly 54,000 Palestinians, including 16,503 children, have been killed in Israeli strikes since the war began.

Dr. Farra offered a somber reflection:

“My only hope is that those who were killed are not reduced to names on paper. We were created like every other human being. And like every other human, we have the right to live.”