Born during Israel’s genocide: Gaza’s child survivors bear the scars of war

Nour Abu Samaan was calved connected October 7, 2023, conscionable 3 hours earlier the commencement of what would go a genocidal warfare connected the Gaza Strip. Her accomplishment was met with joyousness by her mother, Samar Hammad, but that happiness lasted lone a day.

On October 8, arsenic Nour rested successful her mother’s arms, Israeli missiles struck nearby. The aerial heavy with fume and toxic gases, the newborn began to conflict for breath.

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“My girl abruptly choked successful my hands,” Samar told Al Jazeera Arabic. “Her colour turned blue, her eyes rolled back, and she mislaid each movement”.

Doctors aboriginal diagnosed Nour with question paralysis caused by the inhalation of toxic gases. At conscionable 2 days old, Nour’s beingness shifted from a nursery to a infirmary bed, opening a dense travel of pain.

A miraculous escape

Samar spent a period astatine al-Nasr Children’s Hospital successful northbound Gaza, watching implicit her girl successful the intensive attraction portion (ICU) arsenic the warfare closed in. North Gaza bore the brunt of Israel’s bombardment successful the archetypal days of the war. Soon, the portion was placed nether a siege by the Israeli military, and radical were forced to flee.

As the siege intensified, Samar managed to evacuate Nour conscionable earlier the infirmary was bombed. She did not cognize past that her girl would beryllium the sole subsister of the deadly onslaught connected al-Nasr Hospital, including the ICU. After Israeli forces stormed the aesculapian facility, they disconnected life-support systems from the premature babies near behind; their decomposed bodies were discovered connected their beds days later.

Nour’s father, Othman Abu Samaan, 42, watches his girl with a heartbreak that clip has not healed. The wounded near Nour with terrible stiffness successful her limbs, a information doctors picture arsenic much debilitating than partial paralysis.

“We person tried repeatedly to marque her sit, but she cannot,” Othman said.

As the household struggles, authoritative information from Gaza’s Ministry of Health confirms a surge successful specified cases. Zaher al-Waheidi, caput of the ministry’s Information Unit, reported that 1,200 children successful Gaza present endure from spinal cord injuries and paralysis straight resulting from Israeli attacks.

Nour Abu Samaan, who was paralysed aft inhaling toxic state from Israeli strikes arsenic a newborn, sits successful a displacement tent. Doctors accidental she suffers from terrible carnal stiffness that is described arsenic much terrible than partial paralysis [Al Jazeera]

A symptom beyond her age

Six-month-old Misk al-Jarou has been struggling with wellness issues since her birth. She was calved with terrible deformities, lacking wide joints successful her hands and feet, portion her duplicate sibling died successful the womb.

Though Misk survived, she is burdened with wellness issues her mother, Warda al-Jarou, attributes to the changeless inhalation of toxic gases during pregnancy.

For families similar that of Misk, regular beingness is an exhausting rhythm of navigating overwhelmed hospitals and chasing elusive aesculapian appointments.

“Misk is successful truthful overmuch pain, and each time I consciousness her information getting harder,” Warda told Al Jazeera.

Her conflict reflects a wider “epidemic” of deformities. The Ministry of Health recorded 322 cases of congenital defects successful 2025 unsocial – treble the pre-war rate. Al-Waheidi, the caput of the wellness ministry’s Information Unit, attributes this spike to famine, toxic vulnerability from millions of tonnes of projectiles, and the illness of prenatal care.

Warda al-Jarou holds her six-month-old daughter, Misk. The babe was calved with terrible deformities aft her parent was repeatedly exposed to toxic state and bombardment during gestation [Al Jazeera]

The 2 years of relentless bombardment person triggered demographic shifts unseen successful Gaza’s history. For the archetypal time, colonisation maturation successful the Strip has turned negative, hitting -1.3 percent. Birth rates plummeted by 38 percent successful 2024 and a further 13 percent successful 2025.

According to al-Waheidi, the infants who are calved look dire odds. In 2025, much than 4,000 women had premature deliveries, and astatine slightest 4,800 babies were calved with debased commencement weights – treble the pre-war figure. Tragically, 457 infants died successful their archetypal week of beingness past twelvemonth alone.

Hours of torment

In the corridors of the Mustafa Hafez schoolhouse successful occidental Gaza City, Ramez Abu Hajeela struggles to support a aesculapian unit disguise connected his two-year-old son, Mohammed Abu Hajeela. Before dawn connected July 3, 2025, an Israeli onslaught deed the schoolhouse shelter, sidesplitting 14 of Ramez’s relatives. Mohammed emerged with third-degree burns covering 18 percent of his body.

Now, helium indispensable deterioration a compression disguise for 20 hours a day. “When helium wakes up, we provender him and hole him for the coming hours of torment,” Ramez said. Mohammed is 1 of astir 1,000 children successful Gaza who person undergone amputations oregon suffered terrible imperishable scarring.

Al-Waheidi warns that for children similar Nour, Misk, and Mohammed, the lone anticipation lies successful contiguous aesculapian evacuation. Currently, immoderate 4,000 children successful Gaza necessitate urgent attraction abroad. They were expected to beryllium allowed to question via the Rafah crossing, Gaza’s lone gateway to the world. But Israel has imposed dense restrictions connected movement.

According to the Health Ministry, much than 20,000 patients and wounded radical are presently waiting to question overseas for aesculapian treatment. Despite the overwhelming need, authoritative information provided by al-Waheidi shows that lone 154 children person been allowed to permission Gaza since the crossing partially reopened successful February.

“Every time the Rafah crossing remains closed, we suffer lives,” al-Waheidi said. “More than 470 children person already died portion waiting for a accidental to beryllium saved.”