In the aftermath of an Israeli airstrike in Gaza’s southern city of Rafah, doctors faced a harrowing situation: a mother gravely injured, yet 30 weeks pregnant. Despite the tragedy that claimed the lives of Sabreen’s father and her 4-year-old sister, medical teams at Kuwaiti Hospital sprang into action, performing an emergency caesarean section to save the unborn child’s life.
Dr. Mohammad Salameh, head of the neonatal intensive care unit at Emirati Maternity Hospital, described the baby’s precarious condition upon birth, noting severe respiratory distress. Transported to Tal Al-Sultan Hospital, the infant’s condition remains stable but delicate, requiring an extended hospital stay of three to four weeks.
“This respiratory distress syndrome is caused by premature birth,” Dr. Salameh explained, highlighting the challenging circumstances the baby girl faces. Born amid tragedy, she was named after her mother, yet orphaned from the moment she took her first breath.
Currently nestled in an incubator at Rafah Hospital, the newborn bears the poignant inscription, “The baby of the martyr Sabreen Al-Sakani,” a stark reminder of the tragedy that brought her into the world. However, amidst the despair, hope emerges as the baby’s paternal grandmother, Mirvat al-Sakani, vows to care for her.
Meanwhile, the toll of the intensified strikes in Rafah is devastatingly apparent. Palestinian health officials report 19 casualties, including 13 children from a single family, in the strikes that ravaged the city overnight. Shockingly, statistics reveal that over two-thirds of the more than 34,000 Palestinians killed since the conflict began are children and women.
With Rafah now sheltering 1.5 million displaced individuals, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s announcement of a planned ground offensive looms ominously. Yet, amidst the uncertainty, questions linger about plans to safeguard civilians caught in the crossfire, underscoring the urgent need for peace and protection in Gaza.
