In Gaza on Friday, relatives gathered at a small sandy grave where a newborn was laid to rest. Born prematurely after an Israeli airstrike critically injured her pregnant mother, the baby girl survived only a few days.
Named Sabreen Rouh, after her deceased mother and meaning “soul,” the infant’s life was a brief fight for survival. Her mother, Sabreen al-Sakani al-Sheikh, was 30 weeks pregnant when their home in Rafah was struck. Sabreen’s husband, Shukri, and their three-year-old daughter, Malak, also perished in the attack.
Doctors performed an emergency Caesarean section, but Sabreen succumbed to her injuries. The newborn faced severe respiratory issues and a compromised immune system, leading to her death on Thursday. Dr. Mohammad Salama, who cared for Sabreen Rouh at Emirati Hospital, expressed deep sorrow over her death, calling it a painful day for everyone involved.
“If not for the ongoing war and hospital devastations, we might have saved more children,” Dr. Salama remarked, noting the severe limitations caused by the destruction of medical facilities in Gaza.
The conflict, which has claimed over 34,000 Palestinian lives, most of them women and children, has left Gaza in ruins. Hospitals are barely operational, lack essential supplies and electricity, and complicate medical care efforts.
At the gravesite, Sabreen Rouh’s grandmother had begged doctors to save her granddaughter, to preserve the memory of her lost family. However, it was not to be. Her uncle, Rami al-Sheikh Jouda, mourned the comprehensive loss of his family, noting the destruction of even their mementoes.
