Relative shares heart-wrenching account of Gaza doctor's family tragedy

The brother-in-law of a Gaza-based doctor, who lost nine of her ten children in an Israeli airstrike, shared the harrowing account of the moment that devastated the family.

Alaa al-Najjar is a pediatrics specialist at the Nasser Hospital in Khan Younis, southern Gaza Strip. When the Israeli air strike hit her home on Friday, she was on duty, treating other victims of the ongoing Israeli attacks on Gaza.

The strike killed nine of her ten children. One child and her husband, a surgeon, survived with injuries. Both are currently in intensive care unit (ICU) wards at Nasser Hospital, where the couple works.

"My brother has 10 children, and they were displaced, had nowhere to go. He found a rental house to shelter his children, who are between six months and 12 years old. Despite having already lost most of what he had, he chose to stay at home to take care of the children. Every morning, my brother would take his wife to Nasser Hospital, and go back the next morning to pick her up. They would walk back together," said Ali al-Najjar, her brother-in-law.

Ali al-Najjar said that he heard a deafening blast that shook the entire area when the explosion occurred. By the time he rushed over to the doctor's home, it had been reduced to rubble, burying children beneath the wreckage.

"Yesterday, while we were sitting, we heard the impact of an unexploded missile. Shortly afterward, we heard a massive explosion that shook the whole area of Khan Younis. We called him, since we had been displaced to another area. He didn't answer, so I called my uncle's son to go and check on them. My nephew went there and found the house had been bombed. He told me to hurry because all the children were buried under the rubble. I rushed there, not even knowing how I got there. When I arrived, I saw my brother lying on one side and one of his children on the other side. I searched for the rest of the children, but some were still missing. Two of them were alive. I tried to move my brother, but he was too heavy. The car and the ruins were about 200 meters apart. I was afraid dragging him over the rubble might endanger his life. So my uncle's son and I carried the child and ran to the hospital," said Alaa al-Najjar.

The search continued with desperation, but only grievous findings came.

"We searched under the rubble. The rocket had destroyed the entire house. We tried calling under the rubble to see if anyone was still alive. I called out for Jubran and the others, but no one answered. There were some shops next to the house that had caught fire. The Civil Defense crew was there and put out the flames. While extinguishing the fire, we discovered the first body. After the fire was out, we began retrieving the remaining burned bodies. This is what we face every day. We retrieved seven bodies. Two more -- an older boy, 13 years old, and a seven-month-old girl -- were still trapped in the rubble," said Alaa al-Najjar.

A total 53,939 deaths and 122,797 injuries have been caused in Gaza Strip, since the outbreak of the Israel-Hamas conflict in early October 2023, according to Palestinian health authorities.

Israel has recently intensified its operation in Gaza, and is effectively controlling 77 percent of the enclave, according to a statement from the Hamas-run Gaza Government Media Office.

Relative shares heart-wrenching account of Gaza doctor's family tragedy

The three astronauts of China's recently-returned Shenzhou-20 mission on Friday shared the experiences of their dramatic 204-day space mission, including detailing the emergency procedures which were implemented to bring them safely home after their return capsule was struck by space debris.

The trio -- Chen Dong, Chen Zhongrui, and Wang Jie -- met with the press in Beijing on Friday afternoon, marking their first public appearance since returning to Earth in November.

When detailing the emergency response mechanisms which were enacted prior to their scheduled return, the astronauts explained that upon discovering a triangular crack on the spacecraft's viewport window, they immediately took photos for documentation and transmitted them to the ground team, who swiftly activated an emergency plan to get the trio home safely.

Experienced mission commander Chen Dong explained how the crew had complete faith in their colleagues on the ground to find a solution to these unforeseen circumstances which led to their return being delayed.

"First, we must trust the ground team, who would anticipate everything and develop the safest return plan for us. Second, we must believe in ourselves; as well-trained astronauts, we have the ability to manage various unexpected failures. I believe that with the collaboration of astronauts and researchers on the ground, our space home will surely go farther, more steadily, and for a longer time," he said.

Following their extended stay in space as a result of the debris incident, the Shenzhou-20 crew spent a total 204 days in orbit, setting a new record for the longest duration by a single group of Chinese astronauts.

During their mission, they completed multiple payload operations, conducted extensive scientific experiments, and carried out four extravehicular activities.

"Our crew worked together with the ground team in unity and coordination, completing four extravehicular activities, several payload entry and exit tasks, and a large number of scientific experiments. It was a fulfilling yet challenging mission. The path to exploring the heavens is long and arduous, but I firmly believe that China's space missions will succeed," said Chen Zhongrui, a former air force pilot who was making his first spaceflight during the mission.

"From the ground to space, from learning to application, I have deeply felt the solid progress of Chinese space endeavors and the quiet dedication of countless personnel behind the scenes. In the future, I will accomplish each mission with full commitment, living up to the trust of the motherland and the people," said fellow astronaut Wang Jie, who was also making his debut spaceflight.

After returning to Earth on Nov 14, the trio successfully completed their isolation recovery and rehabilitation and will now resume normal training following health assessments.

The crew's return, originally scheduled for Nov 5, was postponed due to safety concerns, with the astronauts later using the return capsule belonging to their successor crew of the Shenzhou-21 mission to get back to Earth. China later launched the unmanned Shenzhou-22 spacecraft which will serve the future return of the crew now aboard the Tiangong Space Station.

Shenzhou-20 astronauts share experiences after safely returning from debris incident