In brief
A Palestinian doctor, Dr. Alaa al-Najjar, has been evacuated from Gaza along with her surviving son, Adam, after losing her husband and nine children in an Israeli airstrike last month.
Dr. Alaa al-Najjar, a Palestinian physician, is en route to Milan, Italy, with her 11-year-old son Adam, following a devastating airstrike that claimed the lives of her husband and nine children. The family’s home in Khan Younis was struck on May 23, prompting an international call for medical assistance. Italy’s foreign ministry confirmed their evacuation, as Adam requires treatment for severe injuries, including multiple fractures to his left arm. The boy and his mother were seen waving farewell to Gaza as they boarded a Red Crescent ambulance, joining 17 other injured Palestinians and their relatives on the journey to safety. They will cross into the Israeli city of Eilat before being flown to various destinations in Italy via the Italian Air Force.Alaa and Hamdi al-Najjar, both doctors, faced tragedy when an Israeli strike hit their home shortly after Hamdi dropped Alaa off at Nasser Hospital. He suffered critical injuries and died shortly thereafter. Adam survived the attack but was left with significant trauma, including shrapnel wounds and severe arm injuries. The Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) stated that the airstrike targeted individuals identified in combat but acknowledged that an ongoing review of the incident is taking place. Amid escalating military operations in Gaza, which began following a Hamas attack on October 7, the death toll from the ongoing conflict has risen severely, with over 54,981 reported fatalities in the region. This evacuation marks a critical step toward providing aid to affected families, with over 150 Palestinians receiving medical attention in Italy to date.
