Palestinian doctor dies from injuries in airstrike that killed nine of his children

Dr. Hamdi al-Najjar had been wounded in Israeli strike on family home in Khan Younis; only wife and one son survive

GAZA, Palestine (MNTV) — A Palestinian doctor whose family home was hit in an Israeli airstrike on May 23 has died from injuries sustained in the attack, Gaza health authorities confirmed. The strike had already claimed the lives of nine of his children.

Dr. Hamdi al-Najjar, 40, succumbed to brain and internal injuries after more than a week of treatment at Nasser Hospital in Khan Younis, where he and his wife, Dr. Alaa al-Najjar, both worked. 

The couple’s youngest child was just six months old, and the eldest was 12, according to local reports.

Only Alaa and their 11-year-old son Adam, who remains hospitalized with severe injuries, survived the attack. 

The family’s home was struck shortly after Hamdi had returned from dropping his wife off for her shift at the hospital.

The Israeli military said at the time that the strike targeted suspects operating from a building near Israeli troops in Khan Younis—described as an active combat zone that had been previously evacuated. The incident is under review, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) stated.

However, the IDF has continued to kill as many Palestinians it finds feasible, without providing much evidence of ‘suspected’ movement or persons. 

Dr. Milena Angelova-Chee, a Bulgarian physician at Nasser Hospital, said Hamdi sustained extensive trauma, including brain, lung, kidney, and arm injuries.

His brother, Dr. Ali al-Najjar, remembered him as a compassionate physician who often treated poor patients without charge.

The couple had founded a private medical center in Khan Younis, where Hamdi served as director. 

His death adds to the deepening toll on Gaza’s medical community, many of whom have been killed or displaced amid ongoing conflict.

Adam, the sole surviving child, underwent surgery for grave injuries, including nearly severed limbs and multiple lacerations. 

British surgeon Graeme Groom, who operated on him, called the case “unbearably cruel,” noting that Adam, the son of two doctors, seemed much younger than his age on the operating table.

Following an appeal from his uncle, Italy’s government has offered to bring Adam to Italy for advanced treatment. 

“He needs a real hospital, outside of Gaza,” Dr. Ali told La Repubblica. Italy’s foreign ministry confirmed it is exploring the logistics for the transfer.

In more than 18 months of genocide, Israel has killed at least 54,418 Palestinians, according to the health ministry in Gaza, including deaths by starvation imposed by Israel’s blockade of aid.