Nine Children of Gaza Doctor Couple Killed

AFP | Gaza City

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Gaza’s civil defence agency said yesterday that an Israeli strike in the southern city of Khan Yunis killed nine children of a pair of married doctors, with the Israeli army saying it was reviewing the reports.

Israel has stepped up its campaign in Gaza in recent days, drawing international criticism as well as calls to allow in more supplies after it partially eased a total blockade on aid imposed on March 2.

Civil defence spokesman Mahmud Bassal said the agency had retrieved “the bodies of nine child martyrs, some of them charred, from the home of Dr Hamdi al-Najjar and his wife, Dr Alaa al-Najjar, all of whom were their children.”

He added that Hamdi al-Najjar and another son, Adam, were also seriously wounded in the strike on Friday.

A medical source at Nasser Hospital, where Alaa al-Najjar works, gave Adam’s age as 10 years old.

Burned Remains
Footage of the aftermath released by the civil defence agency showed rescuers recovering badly burned remains from the damaged home.

Asked about the incident, the Israeli military said it had “struck a number of suspects who were identified operating from a structure” near its troops.

“The Khan Yunis area is a dangerous warzone,” it added. “The claim regarding harm to uninvolved civilians is under review.”