Alaa al-Najjar, a dedicated paediatrician, was attending to injured children at a hospital in the southern Gaza Strip when she received devastating news – her own 10 children were victims of an Israeli air strike on their family home in Khan Yunis. With no means of transportation, Alaa rushed to the site only to find the heartbreaking reality of losing nine of her children in the attack, with the tenth, 10-year-old Adam, fighting for his life alongside his critically injured father, Hamdi al-Najjar, also a doctor.
The scene was a nightmare for Alaa, as she witnessed the charred bodies of her children, including her daughter Nibal, being pulled from the rubble. The grief and shock overwhelmed her, leaving her in stunned silence under a tent near the destroyed home, surrounded by mourning women and the sounds of ongoing explosions in the war-torn territory.
‘Their features were gone’
The air strike, carried out without warning, left the family devastated beyond words. The Israeli military stated that they targeted suspects near their troops, with civilian casualties currently under review. Alaa’s sister Sahar described the harrowing experience of not being able to recognize the children in their shrouds, their features obliterated by the bombing.
The physical injuries suffered by Hamdi and Adam were severe, with surgeries and blood transfusions necessary for their survival. The emotional toll on the family was equally profound, with Ali al-Najjar recounting the heartbreaking task of retrieving the children’s bodies from the rubble.
The future remains uncertain for the surviving family members, as they grapple with the loss of their loved ones and the long road to recovery ahead. The tragedy serves as a stark reminder of the relentless violence and uncertainty that plagues Gaza, leaving no place safe from the horrors of war.
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)
