A premature Palestinian infant who was miraculously saved from her dead mother’s womb in Gaza on Sunday April 21, has passed away.
The baby, named Sabreen Jouda, reportedly succumbed to her injuries just five days after her birth via emergency cesarean section in the southern Gaza Strip city of Rafah.
The heartbreaking incident unfolded when Sabreen’s mother, Sabreen al-Sakani, who was 30 weeks pregnant, was killed in an Israeli airstrike that also claimed the lives of her husband and their 3-year-old daughter.
The family were reportedly asleep at the time of the bombing, which happened just before midnight.
First responders rushed to the scene and performed the emergency procedure to save the infant’s life.
Doctors’ efforts to save the baby
Sabreen was then transferred to the neonatal intensive care unit of a nearby hospital, where she fought for her life for several days.
However, despite the tireless efforts of the medical team, the newborn’s health deteriorated, and they were ultimately unable to save her.
Also Read: How a Baby Was Saved from Womb of Dead Mother
According to Dr. Mohammad Salama, the head of the emergency neonatal unit at Emirati Hospital who was caring for the baby, Sabreen Jouda suffered from respiratory problems and a weak immune system.
“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,” he said while speaking to Reuters.
“I and other doctors tried to save her, but she died. For me personally, it was a very difficult and painful day.”
The Uncle to the Infant Gives His remarks
Sabreen’s uncle, Rami al-Sheikh, confirmed the tragic news of her passing and shared that she was laid to rest next to her father.
“We were attached to this baby in a crazy way,” he said, speaking near Sabreen’s grave in a cemetery in Rafah.
“God had taken something from us but given us something in return” with the baby surviving after her family died.”
“But now he has taken them all. My brother’s family is completely wiped out. It’s been deleted from the civil registry. There is no trace of him left behind.”
Effects of the Israel-Hamas conflict on Palestinian families
This tragic incident is part of the ongoing Israel-Hamas conflict, which has resulted in the deaths of over 34,000 Palestinians, with women and children accounting for two-thirds of the fatalities, according to local health officials.
The attack that claimed the lives of Sabreen’s family is just one of many heartbreaking incidents that have occurred in the region.
In the same city of Rafah, another airstrike claimed the lives of 19 members of the Abdel Aal family, including 17 children and two women.
Also Read: Police Rescue Infant Thrown in a Toilet
Saqr Abdel Aal, a Palestinian man whose family were among the casualties, expressed his grief saying, “There was not a single man among those killed. All were women and children. My entire identity has been erased, with my wife, children, and everyone gone.”
Another resident, Mohammad al-Behairi, shared his heartbreak over the fate of his daughter and grandchild, who were still trapped under the rubble.
“It’s a feeling of sadness, depression. We have nothing left in this life to cry for,”
“When you lose your children, when you lose the closest of your loved ones, how will your feeling be?” he said.
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