A newborn baby girl was delivered from the womb of a Palestinian woman killed alongside her husband and daughter in an Israeli attack in the Gaza city of Rafah. Palestinian health officials reported that a total of 19 people died overnight in intensified strikes, with 13 children from one family among the casualties.
The baby, weighing 1.4 kg (3.09 lb), was delivered through an emergency C-section and is stable, gradually improving, according to Dr. Mohammed Salama, who is caring for her. Her mother, Sabreen Al-Sakani, was 30 weeks pregnant at the time of the attack. The newborn was placed in an incubator in a Rafah hospital, with “The baby of the martyr Sabreen Al-Sakani” written on tape across her chest.
Malak, Al-Sakani’s young daughter who was killed in the strike, had chosen the name Rouh, meaning “spirit” in Arabic, for her new sister, as shared by her uncle Rami Al-Sheikh. “The little girl Malak was happy that her sister was coming to the world,” he said.
Dr. Salama mentioned that the baby would remain in the hospital for three to four weeks before decisions are made about her care. “Even if this child survives, she was born an orphan,” he added.
The 13 children were killed in a strike on the second home, belonging to the Abdel Aal family, as reported by Palestinian health officials. Two women were also killed in that strike.
Asked about the casualties in Rafah, an Israeli military spokesperson said various militant targets were struck in Gaza including military compounds, launch posts and armed people.
“Did you see one man in all of those killed?” said Saqr Abdel Aal, a Palestinian man whose family were among the dead, grieving over the body of a child in a white shroud.
“All are women and children,” he said. “My entire identity has been wiped out, with my wife, children and everyone.”
Mohammad al-Behairi said his daughter and grandchild were still under the rubble. “It’s a feeling of sadness, depression, we have nothing left in this life to cry for, what feeling shall we have? When you lose your children, when you lose the closest of your loved ones, how will your feeling be?” he said.
