The contentnine children from the same family in Gaza, leaving a community in mourning and a mother shattered.
Dr. Alaa al-Najjar, a paediatrician working at Nasser Hospital in Khan Younis, had just arrived at work when her home was bombed. According to the hospital, nine of her ten children were killed in the strike. Her husband and one surviving child, an 11-year-old boy, were injured but made it out alive.
Graeme Groom, a British surgeon volunteering at the hospital, treated the surviving boy. “It’s unbearably cruel,” he told the BBC, shaken by the tragedy. “She’s a doctor who has dedicated her life to helping children — and now she’s lost almost all of her own.”
The Israeli military confirmed it carried out airstrikes in Khan Younis on Friday, claiming they were targeting suspected militants. They said the area was a war zone and that civilians had been warned to evacuate. However, they also stated the claim of civilian casualties was still under review.
A video verified by the BBC, shared by Gaza’s health ministry, shows the grim aftermath — small, charred bodies being pulled from the debris.
The strike reportedly occurred just moments after Dr. al-Najjar’s husband, Hamdi, had returned from dropping her off at the hospital. The couple’s eldest child was only 12 years old.
Over the past day, Israeli forces have carried out over 100 airstrikes across Gaza, the military said. Gaza’s health ministry reports at least 74 deaths in that same 24-hour period.
This single incident — one family, nearly wiped out — is a haunting reminder of the human cost of the ongoing conflict.