Drone ‘Tracked Gaza Doctor’s Colleague Home Before Fatal Strike’, Says British Medic

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A British doctor recently returned from Gaza has described harrowing scenes of loss, starvation, and targeted violence, including an incident where a drone allegedly followed her colleague home before killing his entire family.

Nada Al Hadithy, who served as a medic in Gaza for three weeks, told Sky News that her colleague,described as “patient, joyful and hardworking” was followed by a quadcopter drone that, according to eyewitnesses, did not strike during his journey, but waited until he arrived at his tent, where it killed him and his three children.

Dr Al Hadithy recounted the desperate conditions she witnessed on the ground: widespread malnutrition, relentless bombardments, and mass casualties in areas thought to be safe. “It was mass casualty after mass casualty,” she said, explaining that civilians were being blown up in tents located in designated green zones. One particularly tragic case involved a 21-year-old pregnant woman who lost her baby after being caught in an explosion that also killed her husband and left her with severe injuries, including the loss of an eye and both legs.

According to Dr Al Hadithy, the humanitarian situation is deteriorating rapidly, with around two million residents in the Gaza Strip, an area roughly the size of Exeter, lacking access to clean water, food, sanitation, and medical supplies. She added that even local health workers were going without food, yet continued to perform their duties with courage and dignity.

Her testimony comes following a visit by Donald Trump’s Middle East envoy, Steve Witzoff, alongside the United States (US) Ambassador to Israel, David Friedman. The two visited a distribution site operated by the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF) in the southern city of Rafah, part of an effort to support the delivery of food and medical assistance to the region.

Despite these efforts, aid missions have been repeatedly marred by violence. Eyewitnesses, health officials, and the United Nations (UN) human rights office report that hundreds have been killed while walking to aid sites since May. Israeli military sources insist they have only used warning shots when individuals approached their forces, while GHF has stated that its armed contractors have also limited their fire to prevent dangerous crowding.

Posting on X (formerly Twitter), Mr Witkoff stated that he spent more than five hours inside Gaza to gain a clearer understanding of the humanitarian crisis and help develop a strategic plan for delivering relief. According to UN Deputy Spokesperson Farhan Haq, he did not request any meetings with UN officials during his visit.

The war began on 7 October 2023, when militants led by Hamas launched a deadly assault on Israel, killing approximately 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and abducting 251 others. About 50 of those hostages remain in captivity, with only 20 believed to still be alive. In response, Israel launched a large-scale military campaign that has reportedly resulted in over 60,000 deaths in Gaza, according to the Hamas-run health ministry. The ministry’s figures do not distinguish between militants and civilians.

As international attention continues to focus on the conflict, Dr Al Hadithy’s account adds a deeply personal and urgent perspective to the ongoing humanitarian crisis, one shaped by immense suffering, limited resources, and a population struggling to survive under constant threat.