Baby Sabreen al-Sakani, who was delivered by emergency Caesarean section after her mother was killed in an Israeli air strike in southern Gaza, has tragically passed away. The baby was delivered at a Rafah hospital shortly after midnight on Sunday amidst chaotic scenes.
Doctors worked tirelessly to resuscitate her using a hand pump to push air into her lungs. Despite their efforts, Baby Sabreen succumbed to her injuries on Thursday and was laid to rest beside her mother, after whom she was named.
The Israeli air strike targeted the housing complex where the al-Sakani family resided, resulting in the deaths of 16 children, including Baby Sabreen.
The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) claimed that they were targeting Hamas fighters and infrastructure. Sabreen’s mother, also named Sabreen, was seven-and-a-half months pregnant at the time of the attack. She suffered extensive injuries, while her husband and three-year-old daughter were killed.
Although the baby initially showed signs of stabilization and was placed in an incubator, her condition remained critical due to her premature birth at just 1.4kg (3.1 lbs).
Dr. Mohammed Salama, head of the emergency neo-natal unit at Emirati Hospital in Rafah, expressed sorrow that the child was deprived of the right to remain in her mother’s womb.
The tragic death of Baby Sabreen adds to the grim toll of casualties in Gaza, with the Hamas-run health ministry reporting that two-thirds of the more than 34,000 people killed since the war began in October were women and children.
Amidst escalating tensions, there are concerns about a potential ground offensive in Rafah and its impact on the already dire humanitarian situation. The United States has urged Israel to adopt a targeted approach to avoid exacerbating the crisis further.
