Gaza Nurse Devastated as Entire Family, Including Quadruplets, Killed in Airstrike
A Gaza nurse, Ashraf El Attar, has shared his heart-wrenching story with the BBC, revealing that his wife and six children—among them a set of quadruplets—were killed in a devastating airstrike in the central Gaza Strip.
“Everything I lived for was taken away in an instant,” said El Attar, his voice filled with despair. The nurse, who is employed at Gaza’s European Hospital, recounted how his family home in Deir al-Balah was struck in the early hours of Sunday morning. Miraculously, he survived the attack, albeit with minor injuries.
While Israel has not specifically commented on this incident, it has acknowledged ongoing military operations in the area. The Israeli Defense Forces have stated their focus is on targeting members of armed groups.
El Attar’s wife, Hala Khattab, was a teacher. Their six children, who perished in the strike, included their eldest, a 15-year-old boy, their youngest, a one-year-old girl, and their four 10-year-old quadruplets. The night before the tragedy, the family had spent time together watching a soap opera, attempting to find some solace amidst the chaos of war.
At around 6 AM, as El Attar was preparing for work, he heard an alarm and then suddenly lost consciousness. When he regained his senses, he was in excruciating pain and found his home reduced to rubble. Despite his desperate calls for his wife and children, it was too late.
“The house was gone, and so were they,” El Attar lamented. “My wife, my six children—they were all killed instantly.”
El Attar’s mother, who also lost her grandchildren in the attack, is struggling to understand why their home was targeted. “Ashraf is a nurse, dedicated to helping those in need,” she said. “We have no ties to any organizations.”
Raising the quadruplets had been a monumental challenge for the couple. The babies faced severe health complications in their early months, requiring oxygen support at home, and one of the children even underwent surgery.
Hala, El Attar’s wife, was also committed to helping others. She worked for the United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA), which aids Palestinian refugees. Now, El Attar is left to grapple with the life they could have built together—a life that was abruptly taken from him.
“I worked endlessly to provide for my family, dreaming of a brighter future for my children,” he shared. “But now, all of those dreams have been shattered.”
Determined to seek justice, El Attar vows to pursue legal action through international courts. “This is a grave injustice,” he said. “My entire family has been wiped out, and I will not rest until I find justice.”
The Israeli Defense Forces have yet to address this specific strike, though they confirmed ongoing operations in Deir al-Balah, targeting what they described as terrorist elements. Israel maintains that its operations are aimed solely at members of armed groups and attributes civilian casualties to Hamas, accusing the group of embedding fighters and weapons in residential areas.
The conflict has escalated following a deadly attack by Hamas-led militants on Israel on October 7, 2023, which killed around 1,200 people and resulted in the abduction of 251 others. In retaliation, Israel launched a massive military offensive against Gaza, resulting in over 40,170 deaths according to Gaza’s Hamas-run health ministry.
