GAZA: A Gaza hospital on Saturday said it saved a baby boy from his mother’s womb after she tragically succumbed to injuries sustained in an Israeli strike.
Ola Adnan Harb Al-Kurd, nine months pregnant, endured a night of relentless missile strikes that killed more than 24 Palestinians, including six members of her own family, according to rescue services across the territory.
Upon arriving at Al-Awda Hospital, Ola was in critical condition, described as “almost dead” by surgeon Akram Hussein. Despite efforts to save her, doctors were unable to save her, but managed to detect the baby’s heartbeat through an ultrasound.
In a swift response, medical professionals performed an emergency cesarean section to deliver the fetus. Initially critical, the newborn received immediate oxygen and medical care, stabilizing his condition, as reported by Raed Al-Saudi, head of the hospital’s obstetrics and gynaecology department. Subsequently, he was transferred to Al-Aqsa Hospital in Deir el-Balah for continued care in an incubator.
The tragic incident occurred when an Israeli missile struck the Nuseirat refugee camp in central Gaza, claiming the lives of Ola and three other women and children, while also injuring her husband in their family home.
Recent escalations in Gaza, driven by Israeli military actions under Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s directives, have seen increased casualties and destruction. Reports from the Palestinian Red Crescent indicate that one man was killed by an Israeli drone strike near Khan Younis, while airstrikes on homes in Gaza City resulted in six fatalities, according to civil defense agencies and paramedics.
The ongoing conflict has exacerbated conditions for childbirth in Gaza, with pregnant women facing daily threats that hinder access to essential health services, compounded by food insecurity, deteriorating sanitary conditions, and water scarcity. Humanitarian groups report that the few remaining hospitals are overwhelmed and struggling to cope with the rising incidence of pre-term deliveries and maternal complications such as eclampsia, hemorrhage, and sepsis.
