Israeli Airstrike Kills Nine Children of Gaza Doctor on Duty

 Khan Younis, Gaza | May 25, 2025 — A devastating Israeli airstrike in Khan Younis has killed nine of the ten children of Dr. Alaa al-Najjar, a paediatrician working at the Nasser Medical Complex, while she was tending to victims of ongoing attacks across the Gaza Strip.

The strike hit the family’s residence on Friday, as Dr. Najjar was on duty at al-Tahrir hospital, part of the Nasser complex. The children, the eldest just 12 years old, were at home with their father, also a physician. Both he and one child reportedly survived with injuries.

Dr. Najjar was among those who received the bodies of her own children in the emergency department. Colleagues described the moment as one of the most searing tragedies they had ever witnessed.

“She watched with her own eyes as the charred bodies of her seven children were pulled from beneath the rubble—while two remained missing,” said Mohammed Saqer, head of nursing at Nasser hospital. “She has dedicated her life to saving children, only to lose her own in a moment of unimaginable horror.”

British surgeon Graeme Groom, volunteering at the hospital, confirmed that he had operated on her surviving 11-year-old son, Adam. “His injuries were severe, but the background was worse. Nine of his siblings were killed,” Groom told The Guardian. “The father is also a physician here. He had no known political or military affiliations. It is an especially dark day.”

The Israeli Defense Forces (IDF), in a statement to The Guardian, said that it had targeted “a number of suspects operating from a structure adjacent to IDF troops in Khan Younis.” The IDF claimed the area had been declared an evacuation zone in advance, and stated that reports of civilian casualties were under review.

Footage from the scene, shared by Gaza health authorities and verified by the BBC, shows bodies of children being pulled from the wreckage of a building near a fuel station. A video, described by Dr. Victoria Rose, another British volunteer at Nasser, revealed the extent of the destruction. “The children were charred beyond recognition. It is horrific beyond words,” she said.

The airstrike has prompted international condemnation. Francesca Albanese, the United Nations Special Rapporteur on the occupied Palestinian territories, said the incident reflects “a distinguishable sadistic pattern of the new phase of the genocide.” The Hamas-run health ministry called the attack a “horrific massacre,” accusing the Israeli government of pursuing a policy of indiscriminate vengeance.

Over the course of 24 hours leading into Saturday evening, at least 79 Palestinians were killed in Israeli strikes across Gaza, according to local health officials. Among the dead were 30 members of the Dardouna family, including several young children. A widely circulated image from the scene—shared by Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Mosab Abu Toha—shows the body of a baby girl, less than a year old, being retrieved from the rubble in her pyjamas.

The humanitarian situation in Gaza continues to deteriorate rapidly. Israel has faced mounting international pressure to ease restrictions on the entry of aid. A letter obtained by the Associated Press indicates that Israel may soon allow a newly formed entity, the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation—backed by both Israel and the U.S.—to coordinate non-food assistance.

Despite the claims by Israeli officials that Hamas siphons off aid, multiple United Nations agencies and NGOs have disputed the assertion, emphasizing the dire and worsening conditions for Gaza’s 2.3 million residents. For nearly three months, food, fuel, and medicine have remained largely blocked, contributing to an escalating risk of famine and sparking widespread condemnation.

As the war grinds on, the loss of Dr. Najjar’s children has come to symbolize the human cost of the conflict. “Enough,” pleaded Youssef al-Najjar, a grieving relative. “We are exhausted from displacement, from hunger. We beg the world to show mercy.”