Sat May 24 17:32:23 UTC 2025: **Summary:**
An Israeli strike in Khan Younis has killed nine of the ten children of a Palestinian doctor, Alaa al-Najjar, while she was working at Nasser Hospital. The children ranged in age from seven months to 12 years. Dr. al-Najjar’s husband is critically injured, and their only surviving child is also severely injured. The attack has been condemned by Palestinian officials, a UN special rapporteur, and Hamas, who described it as a war crime and part of a deliberate pattern of targeting civilians and medical personnel. The Israeli military stated that it targeted fighters operating near its forces and is reviewing the incident. This occurred amid heavy bombardment and evacuation orders in Khan Younis, with Gaza’s Health Ministry reporting dozens more killed.
**News Article:**
**Israeli Strike Kills Nine Children of Gaza Doctor, Sparks Outrage**
**Khan Younis, Gaza Strip** – An Israeli strike in Khan Younis has killed nine children of a Palestinian doctor, Alaa al-Najjar, triggering widespread condemnation. The attack occurred on Friday while Dr. al-Najjar, a pediatrician at Nasser Hospital, was at work.
According to Gaza health officials, the strike hit the al-Najjar family home, setting it ablaze. The children, ranging in age from seven months to 12 years, were identified as Sidar, Luqman, Sadin, Reval, Ruslan, Jubran, Eve, Rakan, and Yahya. Two children remain under the rubble.
Dr. al-Najjar’s husband sustained critical chest and head injuries and is receiving intensive care at Nasser Hospital. The couple’s only surviving child, an 11-year-old boy named Adam, is severely injured.
Palestinian officials described the attack as a “full-fledged war crime” and “genocide” and a deliberate targeting of civilians and medical personnel.
Francesca Albanese, the UN special rapporteur for the Palestinian territory, condemned the attack as part of a “sadistic pattern” and a “new phase of genocide” against Palestinians in Gaza.
Hamas stated that the attack followed a pattern of Israel “deliberately targeting…medical personnel, civilians, and their families in an attempt to break their will.”
The Israeli military stated that it struck suspected fighters operating from a structure next to its forces in an area where civilians had been evacuated. “The claim regarding harm to uninvolved civilians is under review,” the military added.
The attack occurred amidst heavy bombardment and forced evacuation orders in Khan Younis, Gaza’s second-largest city. Gaza’s Health Ministry reported that 79 bodies were brought to hospitals between Friday and midday Saturday, excluding inaccessible facilities in the north. The ministry puts the overall death toll in Gaza since October 2023 at 53,901, with 122,593 injured.
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