Emotional Reunion for Gaza's Premature Babies After Two-Year Separation
In a deeply moving scene that brought tears of joy, eleven Gazan toddlers, born prematurely and evacuated to Egypt as infants, have finally been reunited with their families. This poignant homecoming, organised by the United Nations, marks the close of one of the conflict's most painful chapters for these children, who had never known their parents or their homeland until now.
The Harrowing Evacuation from Al Shifa Hospital
These infants were among twenty-nine preterm babies evacuated from the neonatal intensive care unit at Gaza's Al Shifa hospital in November 2023. At that time, Israeli forces were raiding the hospital amid accusations that Hamas had used it for military purposes. With intense fighting raging and the border to Egypt closed, the babies were permitted to be escorted only by medics, meaning their parents were unable to accompany them on the perilous journey.
The reunion on Monday was palpable with emotion. Sundus Al-Kurd, one of the mothers, embraced her daughter Bissan, expressing her profound relief. "I couldn't touch her, I couldn't hold my daughter during the two and a half years," she said. "Today is like a new birthday, like a new beginning, and I will make up for everything my daughter was deprived of, God willing."
Personal Stories of Loss and Hope
Like many of the others, Al-Kurd's daughter Bissan was transported from Gaza to Egypt two years ago in an incubator, a journey doctors said had seriously threatened her life. Tragically, seven of the twenty-nine infants evacuated died while in Egypt. Beyond the eleven who returned to Gaza, the remaining children were with family outside of the Palestinian territory, according to doctors.
Al-Kurd shared her fears that Bissan, dressed in white with a unicorn bow in her hair, wouldn't recognize her. She brought Bissan snacks and a green balloon to try to get her to smile and feel comfortable. "She still doesn't know who her mother is, who her father is, who her family is. So, we're trying with her little by little, and hopefully, things will improve with time, the girl will know us," Al-Kurd said.
Bissan has two living siblings, but a sister, Habiba, was killed the day Bissan was born. An Israeli airstrike hit their family home in Gaza's Beit Lahiya town in October 2023, killing her and nine other members of their family. Al-Kurd, who was eight months pregnant, was wounded, and doctors had to perform a cesarean delivery to save Bissan's life. The family now lives in a tent encampment in Gaza City. "She (Bissan) will compensate for the loss of her sister and everyone I lost," said the mother.
Broader Context and Medical Challenges
The mission to reunite the children with their parents was enabled by a US-brokered deal last October that brought a halt to most fighting and later saw Israel reopen Gaza's sole border crossing with Egypt. During the two-year war, Israel regularly accused Hamas and other militants of using hospitals to store weapons and obscure tunnels and fighters. It has published photos and video that it says shows tunnels dug below hospitals, though the groups deny this.
Israel's attacks destroyed and damaged medical facilities and neonatal units across Gaza. Facilities for newborn babies, particularly those with health issues, are sorely needed, said Mohamed Abu Selmia, director of Al Shifa Hospital. "There is also a shortage of essential medications for premature infants, specialized infant formula, and respiratory support medications," he added.
Around fifty-two percent of basic medicines are unavailable in Gaza, while seventy-five percent of medical supplies are unavailable, said Abu Selmia, highlighting the ongoing humanitarian crisis that continues to affect vulnerable populations like these premature babies and their families.
