Statement: Targeted Killing of Healthcare Workers and the Tragedy of Dr Alaa Al-Najjar’s Family

26 May 2025

The Australian Islamic Medical Association (AIMA) is deeply appalled by the deliberate targeting of healthcare workers and their families in Gaza. These attacks are a direct violation of international humanitarian law and an assault on the principle of medical neutrality, values that must never be compromised, even in war.

We are devastated by the tragedy of Dr Alaa Al-Najjar, a 38-year-old paediatrician at Al-Tahrir Hospital in the Nasser Medical Complex. In a single airstrike, nine of her ten children: Yahya, Rakan, Ruslan, Jubran, Eve, Revan, Sayden, Luqman, and Sidra, aged between 7 months and 12 years, were killed. Her husband remains in intensive care. Their only surviving child, Adam, is critically injured.

This is not an isolated event. It is part of a broader and deeply disturbing pattern in which medical professionals, those committed to saving lives, are being killed with impunity. These are not accidents of war; they are crimes that demand urgent attention and accountability.

We are disheartened by the silence of governments, medical colleges, and institutions in the face of such atrocities. Silence now is not impartiality, it is complicity. The failure to speak out represents a serious ethical and moral lapse.

AIMA calls on all medical colleges, healthcare institutions, and professional bodies, both in Australia and internationally, to:

• Publicly condemn the targeting and killing of healthcare workers and their families.
• Demand protection for medical personnel under international law in all conflict zones.
• Recognise and amplify the lived experiences of healthcare workers like Dr Al-Najjar, whose service and suffering reflect both the courage and the cost borne by Gaza’s medical community.

Dr Al-Najjar’s loss is unimaginable, yet her story is shared by too many in Gaza. These are our colleagues. Their lives and their dignity matter. Their voices deserve to be heard.

This statement reflects our collective grief, outrage, and commitment to justice. AIMA stands firmly in solidarity with all healthcare workers affected by violence, and we will continue to advocate for their protection, dignity, and rights.