Children's Bodies Arrive at Hospital Where Parents Work After Airstrike
Israeli Military Dismisses Civilian Death Claims, Says Investigation Underway
A heartbreaking story has emerged about a Palestinian doctor couple working at a hospital in the Gaza Strip who lost nine of their children due to an Israeli airstrike.
On the 24th (local time), the body of Dr. Ala Alnajar's child being carried into Nasser Hospital in Khan Younis, southern Gaza Strip. Photo by Yonhap News
On the 24th (local time), CNN in the United States reported the story of Dr. Ala Alnajar, age 38. The previous day, as usual, he went to work at the emergency room of Nasser Hospital in Khan Younis, southern Gaza Strip. Just a few hours after he arrived, the bodies of seven children with severe burns were brought to the hospital. The children, all between the ages of 3 and 12, were Dr. Alnajar’s own children.
According to the Gaza Civil Defense, Dr. Alnajar’s house was bombed in an Israeli airstrike that continued until the morning of the 24th, and a seven-month-old baby and a two-year-old child were found beneath the rubble of the collapsed house. As a result, Dr. Alnajar lost all but one of his ten children. However, the only surviving child, an 11-year-old son, was also seriously injured, and Dr. Alnajar’s wife, who is also a doctor, was severely wounded and is in intensive care. The house was bombed just as his wife returned home after her hospital shift.
Munir Albarsh, the Gaza Health Minister, listed the names of all nine deceased children on X (formerly Twitter), mourning, “This is the reality that our medical staff in Gaza must endure.” He emphasized, “It is not only medical workers who are being targeted in Gaza,” and added, “Israel’s attacks are wiping out entire families.”
Despite losing most of his children, Dr. Alnajar continues to work at the hospital. He is reported to be regularly checking on the condition of his wife, who has undergone two surgeries, and his only surviving 11-year-old son. A Gaza Health Ministry official said, “Dr. Alnajar left his children at home to fulfill his duty and calling for the sick children for whom the hospital where he works is the only hope,” adding, “He is accepting this situation calmly and composedly. The only words he could say were, ‘Ask God for forgiveness.’”
The Israeli military stated regarding this airstrike, “We attacked several suspects identified as operating in the Khan Younis area of the Gaza Strip.” Regarding claims of civilian casualties, the military said, “An investigation is underway.”
Meanwhile, the war in the Gaza Strip, which began in October 2023 following a terrorist attack by the Palestinian militant group Hamas, has continued for 19 months. After the first phase of ceasefire negotiations with Hamas ended without results, Israel resumed its offensive in early March this year and has completely blocked the entry of humanitarian aid into the Gaza Strip.
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