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Observer
3 days ago
- Health
- Observer
A mother's loss and Gaza's cry for justice
In Gaza, pain has become part of daily life. The world sees numbers, but behind each number is a person, a story, a dream that was destroyed. One of the most painful stories is that of Dr Alaa al Najjar, a paediatrician from Khan Yunis. While she was working in Nasser Medical Complex, treating injured children, her own house was bombed by Israeli warplanes. Nine of her ten children were killed. Only her son Adam, 11-years-old, survived but is now in intensive care. Her sister Sahar told her the terrible news. 'The children are gone, Alaa,' she said. Alaa answered with calm faith, 'They are alive, being provided for by their Lord.' It was a short reply, but full of patience and deep pain. It shows how mothers in Gaza continue to carry heavy suffering with great strength. The names of her children — Yahya, Rakan, Ruslan, Jubran, Eve, Revan, Saydeen, Luqman and Sidra — are now names of martyrs. The oldest was just 12, the youngest only six months old. They used to recite the Quran, play and laugh at home. But the bombs turned them into bodies burned and broken, impossible to recognise. Sahar said her sister was trying to save other children's lives when she received the news. She ran into the street to reach her home and see her children for the last time, but what she found was heartbreaking. 'We could not know who was who. All of them were in pieces. All of them were burned,' she said. Dr Alaa's family says they have no connection to Hamas. 'What happened to us is something no one can imagine,' Sahar said. 'Our family works in the medical field. Most of us are doctors or nurses. There was no reason for this attack.' The Israeli army later said it had targeted 'a number of suspects' in Khan Yunis, and that the civilian deaths were 'under review'. This kind of statement is made after every attack, but it does not change the fact that many civilians, especially children, are being killed. According to the Ministry of Health in Gaza, more than 16,500 children have been killed since October 7, 2023. Among them were 916 babies under one year old and 311 newborns who died in the war. These are not just numbers. These are children who had a right to live. The statistics show that 4,365 of the children were aged between one and five years old, 6,101 were between six and twelve, and 5,124 were teenagers between 13 and 17. These numbers show the scale of the disaster and the kind of future that is being destroyed in Gaza. In total, more than 49,000 people have been killed in Gaza since the war began. These include over 16,500 children, 12,400 women, 3,853 elderly people, 1,168 health workers, 293 journalists and 719 teachers, according to the Palestinian Central Bureau of Statistics. Dr Alaa's story is not the only one. In May 2025, Anadolu Agency reported the case of five-year-old Arkan Assaf, who was badly injured in an Israeli attack that killed his parents, brother and many relatives. He now lives alone, injured and orphaned. There is also the story of five-year-old Hind Rajab, shared by Al Jazeera. She was the only one to survive a bombing on her family's car in January 2024. She called the Red Crescent for three hours, asking for help: 'I am very scared. Please come. Please send someone to rescue me.' Her body was found twelve days later, next to her family and the medics who tried to save her. On May 8, 2025, the Government Media Office in Gaza said that the Israeli army had destroyed about 2,200 families completely, removing 6,350 names from the population registry. More than 5,120 families were left with only one survivor. In the middle of all this pain, Dr Alaa al Najjar stands as a symbol of courage and sacrifice. Even after losing nine children, she returned to the hospital to help other people's children. Her actions show what it means to be strong, to continue giving in the darkest times. Dr Yousef Abu al Rish, a senior health official, said that Dr Alaa had left her children at home to do her duty towards sick children at the hospital. When he saw her, she was calm and quiet, whispering prayers with her eyes full of acceptance and patience. The story of Dr Alaa al Najjar is more than just a sad story. It is a message to the world. The killing of children in Gaza must stop. The world must act, not only with words but with serious steps. These children were not numbers. They were dreams, lives and hopes. Their deaths show us how far we have failed in protecting human values. Badr al Dhafari The writer works for Oman Daily Observer
Saba Yemen
06-04-2025
- Business
- Saba Yemen
Palestinian Central Bureau of Statistics: Industrial Production Index Increases in February
Ramallah - Saba: The Palestinian Central Bureau of Statistics (PCBS) announced that the industrial production index increased by 1.86% during February compared to January 2025. The PCBS explained in a statement on Sunday that the industrial production index rose to 80.73 in February 2025, compared to 79.25 in January 2025. It indicated that despite the slight improvement in industrial production during February 2025, it remains significantly lower than it was before the Israeli aggression on the Gaza Strip, by about 26.39%. Whatsapp Telegram Email Print
Arab News
03-04-2025
- Health
- Arab News
Israeli action in Gaza leaves more than 39,000 Palestinian children orphaned
LONDON: The Israeli onslaught in the Gaza Strip has orphaned thousands of Palestinian children — many of them losing both parents — which has left them with no means of support and no access to education. The Palestinian Central Bureau of Statistics reported on Thursday that at least 39,384 children in the Gaza Strip have become orphans during the 534 days of Israeli attacks since October 2023, with 17,000 children losing both parents. The PCBS reported that these children face a harsh reality, struggling to survive without support. Many are forced to live in tattered tents or destroyed homes, with little access to social services or psychological support. Palestinian children, including orphans, endure profound mental disturbances daily, such as depression, isolation and fear, due to a lack of safety and proper guidance, the PCBS said. It warned that they are vulnerable to child labor and exploitation in a harsh environment due to the lack of adequate education and social support. The education system in the Gaza Strip has been devastated by the conflict, which has destroyed 111 schools with another 241 severely damaged. Additionally, 89 schools operated by UNRWA (UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East) have been bombed or damaged, preventing 700,000 students from accessing education for the current academic year, the PCBS added. Some UNRWA schools have been turned into humanitarian shelters for entire communities in Gaza. Israel resumed intense bombing of Gaza in March and launched a new ground offensive, ending a ceasefire lasting nearly two months. At least 1,066 people have died in Gaza since Israel resumed its military operations, according to the local health ministry.
Al Jazeera
03-04-2025
- General
- Al Jazeera
Gaza faces ‘largest orphan crisis' in modern history, report says
Tens of thousands of Palestinian children have lost their parents since the start of Israel's war on the besieged Gaza Strip, the Palestinian Central Bureau of Statistics says. In a statement on Thursday, the eve of Palestinian Children's Day, the agency said 39,384 children in Gaza have lost one or both parents after 534 days of Israel's assault, which has ravaged the tiny enclave and displaced most of its 2.3 million strong population. The bureau said among them are about 17,000 children who have been deprived of both parents since October 2023, when Israel launched its genocidal offensive. 'These children are living in tragic conditions, with many forced to take refuge in torn tents or destroyed homes, in a near-total absence of social care and psychological support,' the statement by the bureau said. 'The Gaza Strip is suffering from the largest orphan crisis in modern history.' According to the statement, at least 17,954 children have been killed in Israeli attacks in Gaza, including 274 newborn babies and 876 infants below the age of one year. 'Seventeen children also froze to death in the tents sheltering displaced people, and 52 others died of starvation and systematic malnutrition,' it added. The bureau warned that 60,000 children are at risk of death due to severe levels of malnutrition and looming famine. Since resuming its offensive in Gaza after a fragile ceasefire brought a few weeks of respite, Israel has sealed vital border crossings – prohibiting the entry of much-needed humanitarian aid, including flour, fuel, and medical supplies into the Strip. Even before the last ceasefire came into effect in January, lasting for just about two months, Israeli forces kept the border crossings largely shut, turning away thousands of convoys carrying aid supplies. Gaza's Government Media Office has decried the move, saying earlier this week the Israeli government is applying a policy of 'systematic starvation' by halting the entry of aid and flour for an entire month, forcing bakeries to shut down. Children and minors, those below the age of 18, make up about 43 percent of the combined Palestinian population of 5.5 million in Gaza and the occupied West Bank, the bureau said. Since resuming its deadly campaign on March 18, the Israeli army has killed more than 1,160 Palestinians in Gaza. At least 50,523 Palestinians have been killed since October 2023, most of them women and children, according to Gaza's Ministry of Health. The report said that since October 7, Israeli forces detained more than 1,055 children, mostly in the West Bank, in what it said was an 'unprecedented' escalation against Palestinian children. More than 350 remain held in Israeli prison facilities.
Middle East Eye
03-04-2025
- General
- Middle East Eye
Almost 40,000 children lost a parent during Gaza war
Tens of thousands of children have lost a parent since the beginning of Israel's assault on Gaza. The Palestinian Central Bureau of Statistics said in a statement, issued on the eve of Palestinian Children's Day, said 39,384 children in Gaza had lost one or both parents after 534 days of war. Around 17,000 of those listed lost both parents.
