Gaza doctor Alaa al-Najjar loses nine of her 10 children in Israeli attack
NewsFeed Gaza doctor Alaa al-Najjar loses nine of her 10 children in Israeli attack
An Israeli air strike on the home of pediatrician Dr Alaa al-Najjar killed nine of her 10 children in Khan Younis, while she was at work in Gaza's Nasser Hospital. Her husband and only surviving child are in critical condition.
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Al Jazeera
2 hours ago
- Al Jazeera
‘Forgotten by the world': Disability deepens sisters' struggle in Gaza
Shati refugee camp, Gaza – Inside a stifling tent in Shati, one of Gaza's overcrowded displacement camps, 30-year-old Raneem Abu Al-Eish cares for her sisters, Aseel, 51, and Afaf, 33. They sit close to Raneem, laughing at times and at others growing agitated when the cries of children playing outside get too loud. Aseel and Afaf suffer from celiac disease and intellectual disabilities that impair their speech, understanding, and behaviour – conditions that have only deepened under the strain of war and displacement. They struggle to express themselves, often overwhelmed by their environment, Raneem explains. While she doesn't know the medical term for their condition, the symptoms at times mirror Tourette syndrome. The cramped tent shelters seven family members: Raneem, her two sisters, their elderly parents, and another sister with her husband. Raneem's mother is frail, and her father is still recovering from an injury sustained in Israel's relentless war on Gaza, leaving Raneem to shoulder their care alone. The family used to live in Jabalia camp's Block 2, until Israel destroyed their home eight months ago. Since then, they have moved from relatives' homes to makeshift shelters, then to an overcrowded United Nations school. Now they are in this tent, which traps sweltering heat by midday and lets the bitter cold seep through its thin walls in the night. Privacy and dignity are nearly impossible in the crowded tent. 'When they need to change, we try to get the others to step out,' Raneem says. 'But it's not always possible.' Yet that is only part of the ordeal for Aseel and Afaf, who are bullied daily due to their conditions. 'People don't understand what my sisters go through,' Raneem says softly. 'They judge by appearances, assuming they're fine. But they aren't. They need care, patience, dignity.' Life in the camp overwhelms Aseel. 'She finds it hard to cope with noise or sudden changes,' Raneem explains. 'When that happens, she gets distressed – she shouts, cries, sometimes lashes out.' Afaf, meanwhile, struggles with involuntary movements and impulsive behaviours. 'A small argument or loud voice can trigger her,' Raneem adds. 'She doesn't know how to control it,' she says, which makes it all the more sad that Afaf is frequently targeted for mockery, especially by children. Using communal bathrooms brings repeated humiliation. 'Every bathroom visit becomes a spectacle. People laugh, make cruel remarks, and it devastates them,' Raneem says. The family's greatest blow came six months ago, when Mohammad, Raneem's 22-year-old brother, was taken by Israel. Mohammad had gone to Kamal Adwan Hospital for surgery after a hand injury. While he was there, Israel raided the hospital on October 25 and seized Mohammad. Since then, the family knows nothing about his whereabouts. Mohammad was the sibling most adept at navigating the outside world. 'He got their medicines, managed hospital visits, dealt with aid agencies,' Raneem explains. 'Without him, we're completely alone.' Since his detention, the sisters face worsening food shortages and a lack of medical care. 'He was their protector,' Raneem says, her voice breaking. 'Now we have no one.' Between March and May, intensified bombing again displaced 436,000 Palestinians, many for the second, third or fourth time since the October 2023 beginning of the war. For families like Raneem's – already in tents or shelters – each new wave of violence means starting over again, often without food or medicine. For Aseel and Afaf, even basic nutrition is rife with threats. Celiac sufferers cannot eat gluten, which damages their small intestines. In a starving Gaza where there is little to eat other than wheat-flour bread, which contains gluten, there is little chance that Raneem can find vegetables or meat for the sisters, especially with Mohammad detained. Without gluten-free flour, Aseel and Afaf risk severe malnutrition, and they have gotten a dismally small amount of the 80 tonnes of gluten-free flour that aid agencies have thus far delivered to Gaza. Much of it was blocked by closed borders, damaged roads, and broken distribution systems. 'The little that reaches us is too expensive or too late,' Raneem says. Before the war, Aseel and Afaf had routine medical care at Kamal Adwan Hospital. Their conditions required special diets, medication, and regular therapy, needs now nearly impossible to meet. Psychological specialist Dr Sara al-Wahidi says the war has sharply worsened the marginalisation of people with disabilities in Gaza. 'We've seen people with disabilities become separated from [their families in] displacement areas – some missing for long periods, sadly later found deceased,' she explains. A 2025 report estimates that at least 15 percent of Gaza's displaced population lives with a disability, and they have to navigate the makeshift shelters, whether in encampments, schools, or hospitals, that lack functioning ramps, adapted toilets and basic accessibility. Raneem also battles social stigma, and despite her efforts – talking with neighbours, seeking support from community elders – ignorance persists. 'People provoke them, mock them. All we ask is understanding,' she says. Some elders occasionally invite the sisters to their tents for a visit, brief moments of respite in a daily reality where they have no consistent medical or social support. 'We've been displaced again and again, from Jabalia to the west, then Gaza City,' Raneem recounts. 'Every new place, we have to start over, explaining their condition, begging for patience. 'These aren't just war victims,' she pleads. 'They're vulnerable people forgotten by the world.'
Al Jazeera
17 hours ago
- Al Jazeera
Gaza mother pleads for help to save emaciated 5-year-old
NewsFeed Gaza mother pleads for help to save emaciated 5-year-old Video shows 5-year-old Osama al-Ruqab is wasting away from Israel's forced starvation of Palestinians in Gaza. His mother pleas to get him specialised treatment abroad have been ignored.
Al Jazeera
a day ago
- Al Jazeera
LIVE: Israel destroys Gaza dialysis centre; outrage grows at GHF killings
Israeli forces have killed 54 people in Gaza and destroyed the only facility for kidney dialysis patients in the north of the and aid groups denounce Israeli killings of dozens of starving Palestinians seeking food near distribution points set up by the US-backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF).Egypt and Qatar announce new efforts to secure a ceasefire deal based on a US-backed proposal for a 60-day truce and the entry of humanitarian war on Gaza has killed at least 54,418 Palestinians and wounded 124,190, according to Gaza's Health Ministry. The Gaza Government Media Office updated its death toll to more than 61,700, saying thousands of people missing under the rubble are presumed estimated 1,139 people were killed in Israel during the Hamas-led attacks on October 7, 2023, and more than 200 were taken captive. Update: Date: 11m ago (04:15 GMT) Title: Three killed in Israeli attack at US-backed aid site Content: We are getting reports there has been a fresh Israeli attack on Palestinians who gathered at the GHF aid distribution point in Rafah just moments ago. At least three people were killed and 35 others were wounded, according to medical sources. As we've been reporting, Israeli forces killed at least 31 people at the same site on Sunday. Update: Date: 26m ago (04:00 GMT) Title: Israel destroys North Gaza's only dialysis centre Content: Here's what we know: Translation: After it was renovated and reopened just weeks ago to serve dialysis patients—as the only kidney dialysis center in Gaza City and the northern governorate—which had been serving over 160 kidney failure patients in northern Gaza, and despite operating under severe shortages of fuel and medical supplies, the Israeli occupation has destroyed the Nour Al-Kaabi Dialysis Center at the Indonesian Hospital. Update: Date: 41m ago (03:45 GMT) Title: UN condemns Israel's 'militarised' aid mechanism in Gaza Content: The UN's human rights office (OHCHR) has joined the chorus of concern over the Israeli killings of Palestinian aid seekers at the GHF sites in southern Rafah and near the Netzarim corridor in central Gaza. It said the killings on Sunday follow multiple reports of deadly attacks at the sites between May 27 and 31, that killed at least 19 Palestinians and wounded 80 others. The office stressed 'once more that Israel's militarised humanitarian assistance mechanism violates international standards on aid distribution, endangers civilians, and is contributing to the catastrophic situation in Gaza'. It added, 'The weaponisation of food for civilians and restricting or preventing their access to other life sustaining services constitute a war crime and may constitute elements of other international crimes, including genocide.' Update: Date: 49m ago (03:37 GMT) Title: WATCH: Israel kills dozens of Palestinians waiting for food at US-backed Gaza aid sites Content: Israeli forces have opened fire on a group of desperate Palestinians gathered near an aid distribution site in Rafah, in southern Gaza. At least 31 people were killed and more than a hundred others injured. The distribution point is managed by the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation – a controversial group backed by both Israel and the US. Watch our video report below: This is a modal window. Beginning of dialog window. Escape will cancel and close the window. End of dialog window. This is a modal window. This modal can be closed by pressing the Escape key or activating the close button. Update: Date: 53m ago (03:33 GMT) Title: A recap of recent developments Content: Update: Date: 56m ago (03:30 GMT) Title: Welcome to our live coverage Content: Hello, and thank you for joining our live coverage of Israel's war on Gaza, as well as its attacks on the occupied West Bank and the wider region. Follow this page for round-the-clock updates and analyses of the latest developments. You can read about key events from Sunday, June 1, here.
