| Killing of al-Najjar children | |
|---|---|
| Part of theGaza war andGaza genocide | |
  Khan Yunis Location within the Gaza Strip | |
| Location | Khan Yunis,Gaza Strip |
| Date | May 23, 2025 |
| Target | Palestinian family |
Attack type | Airstrikes,massacre,war crime |
| Deaths | 10 (including 9 children) |
| Injured | 1 child |
| Perpetrator |  Israel Defense Forces |
On May 23, 2025, theIsrael Defense Forces (IDF) bombed a home in theGazan city ofKhan Yunis, belonging to a doctor couple employed atNasser Hospital. Themassacre[1] resulted in the deaths of 9 of the couple's 10 children. The father of the family, Hamdi al-Najjar, was in critical condition and succumbed to his injuries after several days.[2] A son, 11-year-old Adam, survived the attack and had to undergo multiple surgeries.[2] The mother, pediatricianAlaa, who had just started her shift at the hospital at the time of the bombing, was unharmed. The children ranged in age from 7 months to 12 years.[1]
Le Monde highlights theabuses that Palestinian doctors undergo at the hands of the Israelis, with many having suffered torture precisely because they were doctors, according to the Israeli NGOPhysicians for Human Rights.[1] Four Palestinian doctors have been killed in Israeli custody since the start of the Gaza war, including surgeonAdnan al-Bursh, whose body showed signs of torture, according to theUnited Nations.[1]
Israeli attacks on hospitals andhealth workers in the Gaza Strip are one of the elements cited byAmnesty International in concluding that Israel is committinggenocide in Gaza.[1]
Israeli forces have killed about 1,600 Gaza health workers since the start of the war until the end of May 2025.[1]
According to a niece of the couple, who accompanied Hamdi after they dropped Alaa off at Nasser Hospital, the family's home was hit by the Israelis twice. After the first time, in which the missile failed to detonate, Hamdi rushed home to get his children out, following which the Israelis launched a second missile, causing the explosion.[3]
Witnesses reported that the children's charred bodies recovered from the rubble had been burned to a crisp; an uncle who rushed to the scene shortly after the strike described seeing a blown-out skull and scattered bits of brain tissue. The children's bodies were in such poor condition that their mother was unable to identify them.[2] Hamdi suffered multiple fractures throughout his body and damage to the brain; he died on June 1. Adam, as of June 1, remains in treatment.[2]
The Israeli military claims to have bombed a group of suspects moving near Israeli troops, adding that reports of civilian casualties were "under review."[1] However, no other victims of the strike are known, and the children's uncle says the area was deserted at the time.[1] Marwan al-Hams, director of field hospitals at the Health Ministry in the Gaza Strip, toldLe Monde that most likely the army knew very well who the house belonged to and who was in it at the time of the bombing. The IDF "targets everyone, but by striking the home of pediatrician Alaa and her husband, Dr. Hamdi, it's as if they wanted to target the health care system itself, the last line of defense protecting the Palestinian people by saving lives," he said.[1]
The massacre drew international attention and condemnation. The family’s story became emblematic of the suffering endured by Palestinian civilians and healthcare workers during the conflict.[4][5]
Hamas described the mass killing as a "heinous crime [that] clearly expresses the sadistic nature of the occupation, and the level of the deep-rooted spirit of revenge that drives Netanyahu and his gang of murderers and human monsters."
ThePalestinian Ministry of Health in the Israeli-occupied West Bank said, "This horrific crime is not an isolated incident, but part of a systematic targeting of medical personnel and institutions, aimed at breaking the will of those standing steadfast in Gaza."[3]
Munir al-Boursh, Director-General of theMinistry of Health in Gaza, stated, "This is the reality our medical staff in Gaza endure. Words fall short in describing the pain. In Gaza, it is not only healthcare workers who are targeted—Israel's aggression goes further, wiping out entire families."[3]
On May 27,Haaretz reported thatIsraeli media "has been celebrating the doubts that have surfaced about the event", generated by bad faith users.[6] "Instead of apologizing, they have circulated misleading images and published reports aimed at undermining the veracity of the incident."[6]
United Nations:Francesca Albanese, theUN Special Rapporteur for the occupied Palestinian territories, said it represents a "distinguishable sadistic pattern of the new phase of the genocide."[7]
Brazil:President Lula condemned the massacre as "shameful and cowardly."[8]
Italy: Italian foreign ministerAntonio Tajani has offered to welcome Adam and his parents into the country.[2] Italian authorities offered to evacuate the surviving child, Adam, for medical treatment, citing the lack of adequate care available in Gaza.[9]
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