Gaza Mourns Baby Who Dies After Rescue From Dead Mother’s Womb

The baby girl, named Sabreen after her mother, was delivered prematurely via Caesarean section after her mother sustained injuries during an Israeli strike on their family home in Rafah.

Palestinian baby 'Sabreen al-Ruh al-Sheikh' who was delivered preterm by caesarian section minutes before the death of her mother. ( Image Source :Getty Images )

In Gaza, relatives gathered solemnly around a small sandy grave on Friday, bidding farewell to a baby girl who lived only a few days after being delivered from the womb of her dying mother following an Israeli airstrike, news agency Reuters reported on Saturday. 

The baby girl, named Sabreen after her mother, Sabreen al-Sakani a-Sheikh, was delivered prematurely via Caesarean section after her mother sustained injuries during an Israeli strike on their family home in Rafah, the southernmost city in the Gaza strip, the Reuters report said, 

As per the report, the baby‘s father, Shukri, and her three-year-old sister, Mala, were also killed in the attack. 

The baby’s uncle, Rami al-Sheikh Jouda, mourned her death, he told Reuters, “We are left with no memories of my brother, his daughter, or his wife. Everything was gone, even their pictures, their mobile phones, we couldn’t find them”.  

Despite the efforts of doctors, the baby succumbed to respiratory complications and a fragile immune system on Thursday, the Reuters report said. Dr Mohammad Salama, head of the emergency neo-natal unit at Emirati Hospital, told Reuters, “I and other doctors tried to save her, but she died. For me personally, it was a very difficult and painful day”. 

Salama further spoke about the challenges the baby experienced, saying, “She was born while her respiratory system wasn’t mature, and her immune system was very weak, and that is what led to her death. She joined her family as a martyr”. 

The devastating toll of the conflict in Gaza is evident, with over 34,000 Palestinians, predominantly women, and children, confirmed killed in the ongoing six-month war between Israel and Hamas militants, according to the Gaza health ministry, Israel refutes accusations of intentionally targetting civilians in its efforts to combat Hamas. 

The widespread destruction has left much of Gaza in ruins, with most hospitals severely damaged or lacking essential resources such as electricity and medical supplies.