Gaza Strip, May 25 (H.S.): The Gaza Health Ministry reported on Saturday that at least 79 bodies have been brought to hospitals within the last 24 hours due to Israel’s recent airstrikes. The ministry stated that this figure does not include those hospitals in northern Gaza that are now completely cut off.
The most tragic incident among these deaths occurred in the southern city of Khan Younis, where nine of the 10 children of married doctors Alaa and Hamdi al-Najjar were killed in recent Israeli airstrikes. Alaa, a paediatrician at Nasser Hospital, rushed home to find their family house ablaze after being on duty during the attacks. Hamdi sustained serious injuries in the same strike, while their only surviving child, an 11-year-old son, is in critical condition. Civil defense spokesperson Mahmud Bassal reported that the bodies of the nine children, aged between seven months to 12 years, were retrieved from the wreckage, some severely charred. Khalil Al-Dokran, a Gaza Health Ministry spokesperson, noted that two of the children remained trapped under the rubble. Footage released by the civil defense depicted rescuers recovering severely burned remains from the damaged home.
Dr. Al-Najjar’s husband is critically injured, while their only surviving child (an 11-year-old son) is hospitalized in serious condition. The ages of the deceased children range from seven months to 12 years. Health Ministry spokesperson Khalil Al-Dukran reported that two children’s bodies are still trapped under the rubble.
The Israeli army released a statement regarding the attack, claiming that they targeted active suspects from a building near their soldiers. The army declared the Khan Younis area a dangerous combat zone and claimed that they had already initiated a process to evacuate civilians from there. They said that the claims of innocent civilian casualties are under review.
In another statement released on Saturday, the Israeli Air Force claimed that over 100 targets were hit in Gaza in the last 24 hours.
According to the Gaza Health Ministry, so far 53,901 people have been killed in this war, which began after an attack on Israel led by Hamas on October 7, 2023.
Hindusthan Samachar / Jun Sarkar
