Israeli Airstrike Claims Lives of Nine Out of Ten Children of Gaza Doctor, Reports Health Ministry
An Israeli air strike targeted the residence of a doctor in Gaza, resulting in the deaths of nine out of her ten children, as reported by the director of the Hamas-run health ministry.
Dr. Alaa al-Najjar’s husband, Hamdi al-Najjar, who is also a physician, is currently described as being in critical condition, while her sole surviving son, Adam, has sustained serious injuries.
Victoria Rose, a British plastic surgeon working at Nasser Hospital, corroborated these details to RTÉ News.
Dr. Muneer Alboursh, director of the Hamas-run Gaza health ministry, shared verified graphic images that illustrated the aftermath of the air strike on a home in Khan Younis, where multiple small children’s bodies were retrieved from a burning structure.
In response to inquiries about the event, the Israeli military stated that they had “struck a number of suspects who were identified operating from a structure” near their troops.
“The Khan Yunis area is a dangerous warzone,” the military added. “The claim regarding harm to uninvolved civilians is under review.”
An evacuation warning for Khan Yunis had been issued by the army on the preceding Monday.
The funeral for the children occurred at Nasser Hospital, as captured by AFP footage.
Samah Al-Najjar, a niece of Hamdi Al-Najjar, described the events that transpired during the Israeli attack.
Earlier, Gaza’s civil defense agency reported that Israeli strikes had resulted in at least 15 fatalities across the Palestinian territory, where Israel has intensified its military actions in recent days.
Mahmud Bassal, a spokesman for the civil defense agency, noted that the deceased included a couple killed along with their two young children in a pre-dawn strike on a residence in the Amal quarter of Khan Younis.
Additionally, a drone strike targeting a crowd gathered for aid in the western area of the city resulted in at least five fatalities, he reported.
The Israeli military stated that it could not comment on specific strikes without their “precise geographical coordinates”.
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In a statement, the military reported that in the last day, over 100 targets had been struck across the territory, including members of “terrorist organizations in the Gaza Strip, military structures, underground routes, and additional terrorist infrastructure”.
Israel resumed its operations in Gaza on March 18, ending a two-month ceasefire.
According to Gaza’s health ministry, at least 3,747 individuals have been killed in the territory since then, which brings the overall toll of the war to 53,901, predominantly civilians.
The Hamas attack on Israel in October 2023 that initiated the war resulted in the deaths of 1,218 individuals, primarily civilians, based on an AFP tally from official figures.
Additionally, militants captured 251 hostages, with 57 remaining in Gaza; the Israeli military claims that 34 of them are deceased.
United Nations chief António Guterres remarked yesterday that Palestinians are experiencing “the cruellest phase” of the war in Gaza, where a prolonged Israeli blockade has led to severe shortages of food and medicine.
Limited aid deliveries to Gaza resumed on Monday for the first time since March 2, amidst increasing condemnation of the Israeli blockade.
The World Food Programme reported that 15 of its trucks were looted late Thursday night, urging Israel to “facilitate much greater volumes of food assistance into Gaza more rapidly”.
A Palestinian man salvages items from a house hit in an Israeli strike.
“Hunger, desperation, and anxiety over future food aid are contributing to rising insecurity,” the organization stated.
Meanwhile, the Gaza City municipality warned on Saturday of “a potential large-scale water crisis” due to a lack of supplies required for urgent repairs.
It noted that the destruction from the conflict has “affected the majority of Gaza’s water infrastructure, putting large portions of the population at risk of severe water shortages.”
The municipality also highlighted that rising temperatures are expected to increase demand.
‘Systematic’ destruction
Yesterday, WHO Emergencies Director Michael Ryan emphasized that 2.1 million individuals in Gaza are “in imminent danger of death”.
“We need to end starvation, release all hostages, and restore the health system,” he stated.
“All hostages should be released. Their families are suffering. They are in pain,” he added.
WHO Emergencies Director Michael Ryan reiterated that 2.1 million people in Gaza are ‘in imminent danger of death’.
The WHO reported that Gazans face severe shortages of food, water, medical supplies, fuel, and shelter.
In the past week, four major hospitals had to suspend medical services due to their proximity to hostilities or evacuation zones, and due to attacks.
Only 19 of Gaza’s 36 hospitals remain operational, with staff working under “impossible conditions,” as stated by the UN health agency.
“At least 94% of all hospitals in the Gaza Strip are damaged or destroyed,” the agency commented, while north Gaza “has been stripped of nearly all health care”.
Currently, only 2,000 hospital beds remain available across the Palestinian territory, a figure that is “grossly insufficient to meet current needs”.
“The destruction is systematic. Hospitals are rehabilitated and resupplied, only to be exposed to hostilities or attacked again. This destructive cycle must cease,” it concluded.
Read more: Slow steps taken by Government amid calls for action over Gaza. EU-Israel deal: Why the Dutch gambit succeeded where Ireland and Spain faltered.
AFP
