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| Reuters |
NEWSLINE PAPER,-Unbelievably, Baby Sabreen al-Sakani, who was saved from her mother's womb following an Israeli airstrike in southern Gaza, has sadly died.
The baby had a turbulent fight for life after being delivered by emergency Caesarean section at a Rafah hospital just after midnight on Sunday. With a hand pump to force air into her lungs, physicians labored feverishly to revive her amid frantic scenes. Baby Sabreen died of her wounds on Thursday, despite their heroic attempts, and was buried next to her mother, after whom she was named.
During the weekend, two airstrikes in Rafah claimed the lives of sixteen children, including baby Sabreen. Targeting the apartment complex where they lived, the strikes claimed innocent life. Although the Israel Defence Forces (IDF) claimed that the strikes were directed against Hamas fighters and infrastructure, the terrible toll on civilians—including infants—highlights the human cost of war.
The terrifying experience started when Sabreen's mother—seven and a half months along—found herself in the path of an Israeli airstrike on the al-Sakani family home. Sabreen, her husband Shukri, and their three-year-old daughter Malak were asleep when the strike happened on Saturday just before midnight.
Tragically, the attack claimed the lives of Sabreen's mother and her husband and daughter. Hope came out of the destruction when rescuers found that the unborn child was still alive in her mother's womb. Sabreen was taken urgently to the hospital where doctors carried out an emergency Caesarean section to bring her into the world.
From the time she was born, Baby Sabreen, who weighed just 1.4 kg (3.1 lbs), had to fight against serious respiratory distress because of her early birth. Head of the emergency neo-natal ward at Emirati Hospital in Rafah Dr. Mohammed Salama emphasized the grave injustice of her circumstances and said that she ought to have been securely tucked away in her mother's womb at that time.
Tragically, on Thursday, Baby Sabreen passed away from her injuries, leaving behind a bereaved family and a community in mourning. Her maternal grandma Mirvat al-Sakani highlighted the deep effect of her death on those left behind when she told the BBC that the family had intended to adopt the baby.
With the Hamas-run health ministry stating that a considerable majority of the over 34,000 deaths since the conflict started are women and children, the death of Baby Sabreen adds to the startling toll of civilian casualties in Gaza. The disproportionate toll in innocent life emphasizes how urgently the violence must stop and civilian populations must be protected.
Calls for responsibility and action intensify as the world community struggles with the humanitarian catastrophe developing in Gaza. The US has advised Israel to use moderation and take a focused strategy in order to prevent making the already serious situation in Rafah worse. There is now more urgency than ever for a peaceful solution as hostilities rise and more violence seems imminent.
In the face of unfathomable tragedy, Baby Sabreen's story is a moving reminder of the human cost of war and the necessity of seeking peace in the area. The globe must come together in solidarity as communities lament the loss of innocent lives to demand an end to the cycle of violence and guarantee a better future for coming generations.
(Newsline Paper teams)