Gaza doctor dies from wounds after Israeli airstrike kills nine of his children

Dr. Hamdi al-Najjar, a physician from Khan Younis, died on June 1 from wounds sustained in an Israeli airstrike that brutally claimed the lives of nine of his ten children just days earlier. The devastating loss and his subsequent death cast a stark light on the staggering toll of the ongoing conflict in Gaza.

Local media reported that although a photo circulated days before showed Dr. al-Najjar standing beside his sole surviving child, 11-year-old Adam, his condition deteriorated rapidly, leading to his passing overnight. The precise timeline and cause of his fatal injuries remain unclear.

The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) responded, stating that their aircraft targeted “several suspects” in a building near their position in Khan Younis, a declared combat zone from which civilians had reportedly been evacuated. The IDF emphasized that claims of civilian harm are “under review.”

The al-Najjar family’s ordeal began early last week. Dr. Alaa al-Najjar, a 35-year-old pediatrician at Nasser Medical Complex and Hamdi’s wife, said a heart-wrenching goodbye to her ten children before heading to work, fearful of the growing danger but compelled by her duty to care for the wounded.

Hours later, seven of her children’s charred bodies were brought to the very hospital where she worked. Two others, including her youngest, six-month-old Sayden, were trapped beneath rubble. Only Adam and his father survived, though both were critically wounded.

Ali al-Najjar, Hamdi’s brother, rushed to the scene and found Adam lying in the street, covered in soot and debris, yet alive. His brother Hamdi lay nearby, bleeding and gravely injured, with an arm severed but still breathing.

Alaa arrived as her daughter Revan’s burnt body was recovered — so disfigured it was unrecognizable until identified at the morgue alongside her siblings Yahya, Rakan, Ruslan, Jubran, Eve, Sayden, Luqman, and Sidra.

Despite the unimaginable grief, Alaa pressed on to tend to her surviving son and husband after their burial. Hamdi suffered severe brain trauma and chest fractures; Adam remained in serious condition.