In a heart-wrenching story from Gaza, 11-year-old Adam al-Najjar, the sole survivor of an Israeli airstrike that devastated his family, is being evacuated to Italy for urgent medical treatment. Scheduled to fly to Milan accompanied by his mother, Dr. Alaa al-Najjar, the pair left Gaza in the care of the Italian foreign ministry.
On May 23, a strike on their home in Khan Younis claimed the lives of Dr. Hamdi al-Najjar, Adam’s father, and nine of his siblings. The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) stated they are reviewing the incident, while the BBC has reached out for further comments.
Recent footage shared by Palestinian journalists showed Adam and his mother, waving farewell as they departed in a Red Crescent ambulance. Before their evacuation, Dr. Alaa told Italian newspaper la Repubblica about Adam's condition, noting that while he was stable, his left arm was severely damaged due to fractures and nerve injury.
The evacuation involved Adam, his mother, and 17 other injured Palestinians along with relatives, set to cross over to Eilat in Israel for a flight organized by the Italian Air Force. This mission marks the transportation of 150 Palestinian patients from Gaza for medical assistance to Italy, with additional family members accompanying them.
Tragically, Dr. Hamdi al-Najjar was critically injured in the attack and died shortly thereafter. Adam, when admitted to the hospital, was noted by a British surgeon to have extensive injuries. The IDF maintains their operations are conducted with civilian safety in mind, although there are conflicting reports regarding the civilian casualties in the area.
As the conflict continues, the humanitarian toll remains significant, with reports indicating over 54,981 individuals have lost their lives in Gaza amidst the ongoing strife that has intensified since Hamas's cross-border attack on October 7, 2023.
