Gaza: A Palestinian pediatrician, Dr. Alaa al-Najjar, was working at al-Tahrir Hospital in the Nasser Medical Complex when she tragically discovered that nine of her children had been killed when an Israeli airstrike hit their home in southern Gaza. While tending to casualties at the hospital on Friday, Al-Najjar was devastated to see the severely burned bodies of her children brought in.

According to Islamic Republic News Agency, the children, ranging in age from six months to 12 years, were identified as Yahya, Rakan, Ruslan, Jubran, Eve, Revan, Sayden, Luqman, and Sidra. The only surviving child remains in critical condition. In a post on her X account on Saturday, the United Nations Special Rapporteur on the occupied Palestinian territories, Francesca Albanese, remarked on the tragedy, highlighting that two doctors lost nine of their kids to an Israeli missile targeting their home.

She added that targeting families in still-standing buildings represents a distinguishable pattern in what she termed a new phase of genocide. According to the Palestine Red Crescent Society, at least 1,400 healthcare professionals have been killed in Israeli attacks since October 2023. Dr. Munir al-Bursh, director general of the Palestinian Ministry of Health, echoed the sorrow, stating that the reality faced by medical staff in Gaza is indescribable and condemning the attack.

Hamas condemned the Israeli attack on the home of Dr. Al-Najjar as a horrific massacre. The group described the act as reflecting the sadistic nature of the occupation, attributing it to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his administration. Hamas accused the Israeli regime of deliberately targeting medical personnel and civilians in an effort to break their will since the conflict began.