A miracle baby girl rescued from the womb following her mother's tragic death in an Israeli airstrike on Gaza has passed away in one of the war-torn Palestinian territory's struggling hospitals less than a week after her mother, sources reveal. Sabreen Erooh breathed her last on Thursday night, just five days after doctors performed an emergency cesarean section on her mother, Sabreen al-Sakani, who lost her life as medical professionals desperately worked to save her daughter's premature lungs.
Al-Sakani was in her sixth month of pregnancy when the fatal incident occurred. The strikes, which targeted homes in the southern Gaza city of Rafah, claimed the lives of her husband Shoukri and their three-year-old daughter Malak in addition to her own. The attacks resulted in the deaths of at least 22 individuals, predominantly children, as reported by The Associated Press.
The heart-wrenching images of Sabreen Erooh's fragile, motionless form being swiftly transported through a hospital wrapped in a blanket have sparked widespread global criticism of Israel's actions in Gaza. The Hamas-controlled Ministry of Health in the enclave has stated that over 34,000 individuals, a majority of whom are women and children, have lost their lives due to the ongoing conflict.
Baby Sabreen's uncle, Rami al-Sheikh, who had offered to care for the little girl, shared that she had passed away following five days in an incubator.
"We were deeply connected to this baby," he expressed near his niece's resting place in a Rafah cemetery. "God took something from us, but had also given us something in return," referring to the premature girl's initial survival. "But now, he has taken them all. My brother's family has been completely erased. They no longer exist in the civil registry. There is no trace of him left."
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"This goes beyond mere warfare," remarked United Nations Human Rights chief Volker Turk on Tuesday. "Every 10 minutes, a child is either killed or injured [in Gaza]... They are entitled to protection under the laws of war, yet they are the ones bearing a disproportionately heavy toll in this conflict."
Initially unnamed, the tiny girl was initially labeled as "The baby of the martyr Sabreen al Sakani" on her tiny arm. Her aunt later named her Sabreen Erooh, which translates to "soul of Sabreen," in honor of her mother. Born weighing only 3.1 pounds, as reported by the BBC.
"Innocent children were peacefully sleeping. What wrong had they committed?" a family member, known as Umm Kareem, expressed in anguish following the recent attacks. "There were pregnant women, sleeping kids, and an elderly aunt who is 80 years old. What could these individuals have possibly done to deserve this? Did they launch missiles?"
The Israel Defense Forces stated that the strikes in Rafah were aimed at Hamas infrastructure and militants. Despite assertions from the IDF and Israel's political figures that they are taking precautions to prevent civilian casualties, they remain committed to eliminating Hamas in retaliation for the group's terror attack on Oct. 7.
As a part of this objective, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has declared his intention to authorize a ground operation in Rafah, a city where over 1 million Palestinians have sought shelter from the conflict. Preceding the potential ground offensive, the IDF has conducted airstrikes targeting Hamas within the area.
The United States has advised Israel to pursue a more focused strategy in its campaign against Hamas. Several other international allies of Israel and humanitarian organizations have also cautioned against initiating a large-scale ground incursion in Rafah.
