Tragic Loss: Gaza Newborn, Saved from Killed Mother’s Womb, Loses Battle in Incubator
In the aftermath of an Israeli attack on Gaza, a poignant tale of tragedy unfolds as Sabreen al-Rouh Jouda, a premature Palestinian baby, passes away after being rescued from her mother’s womb, a victim of the conflict.
Sabreen al-Rouh Jouda, the newborn, fought for her life in a Gaza hospital for days but tragically lost the battle, her uncle, Rami al-Sheikh Jouda, sadly confirmed. Dr. Mohammad Salama, the head of the emergency neonatal unit at Emirati Hospital in Rafah, where the baby girl was being cared for, also confirmed her passing, expressing the heartache felt by the medical team who tried tirelessly to save her.
The sequence of events leading to Sabreen’s premature birth is heartbreaking. Her mother, Sabreen al-Sakani, was rushed to the hospital following an Israeli air strike on their home in Rafah. Despite efforts to save her, Sabreen al-Sakani and her husband, along with one of their daughters, lost their lives in the attack.
The Israeli military claimed it was targeting Hamas fighters and infrastructure, yet the strike predominantly claimed the lives of innocent civilians, including women and children.
Sabreen al-Rouh Jouda, named after her late mother, entered the world weighing only 1.4kg (3.1 pounds) and struggled with severe respiratory distress due to her premature birth. Despite the dedicated care provided in the neonatal intensive care unit, her fragile health proved too precarious to overcome.
Dr. Salama lamented the loss, citing the baby’s immature respiratory and immune systems as contributing factors to her demise. The grieving family buried Sabreen al-Rouh Jouda beside her father, finding solace in the brief time they had with her.
The uncle, reflecting on the family’s devastating loss, expressed the depth of their attachment to the newborn, whose survival briefly provided a glimmer of hope amid the tragedy. However, with Sabreen al-Rouh Jouda’s passing, the family finds itself completely shattered, their existence erased from the civil registry.
The loss of Sabreen al-Rouh Jouda adds to the grim statistics of casualties in Gaza, with over 14,000 children among the victims of Israeli attacks since the conflict began. The toll on Palestinian lives continues to mount, with more than 34,300 fatalities recorded across the besieged enclave.
Despite calls for an end to the violence, Israeli leaders have signaled intentions to escalate the conflict with a ground assault on Rafah, further imperiling the lives of the 1.5 million Palestinians seeking refuge in the southern city.
As the world witnesses the ongoing tragedy unfolding in Gaza, the story of Sabreen al-Rouh Jouda serves as a poignant reminder of the human cost of conflict, amplifying the urgent calls for peace and justice in the region.
