Adam al-Najjar is the only one of 10 children in his family to survive an Israeli strike on their home in Gaza’s Khan Younis.
An 11-year-old Palestinian boy who was severely wounded in an Israeli air strike which killed his father and his nine siblings has arrived in Italy for medical treatment.
Adam al-Najjar arrived with his mother at Milan’s Linate airport on Wednesday, where he was greeted by Italian Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani, who gave him a football. He was then transferred to the city’s Niguarda Hospital for treatment of his injuries.
Adam is the only one of 10 children in his family to survive an Israeli strike on their home in the city of Khan Younis, southern Gaza, on May 23. His siblings ranged in age from seven months to 12 years old.
Adam’s father, doctor Hamdi al-Najjar, also died of his injuries in the days following the attack. His mother, paediatrician Alaa al-Najjar, had been working at the time of the strike at Nasser Hospital, one of the few still operating in southern Gaza.
Adam sustained serious burns to his body in the strike, the AFP news agency reported. His mother, who travelled to Milan for her son’s treatment along with Adam’s aunt and cousins, said her son was stable but would be treated for injuries, including multiple fractures to his arm.
He “has a head wound that is healing but his left arm is bad, the bones are fractured and the nerves damaged,” the 36-year-old told Italian newspaper La Repubblica.
She said she focused on his recovery so as not to think of the horrors of the loss of her family.
“I remember everything. Every detail, every minute, every scream,” she told the newspaper.
“But when I remember, it’s too painful, so I try to keep my mind focused entirely on Adam.”
Uncle’s appeal for help
Adam’s medical evacuation followed an appeal by his uncle in the media, which led Tajani to announce that Italy was prepared to help.
Sixteen other Palestinian children, along with more than 50 family members, were also flown to Italy on Wednesday on military aircraft that set off from Israel’s Eilat airport, the Italian foreign ministry said, according to Reuters. The injured children will be treated in hospitals in cities including Rome, Florence and Bologna.
The Italian government has brought 150 injured Palestinians into the country for medical treatment to date, the foreign ministry said.
Italy has been a vocal supporter of Israel since it launched its assault on Gaza in October 2023, although in recent months, officials have criticised the severity of Israel’s response and expressed concern over the mounting death toll.
According to the United Nations’ child rights agency, UNICEF, more than 50,000 children have reportedly been killed or injured in the Israeli assault.