The Gaza journalist killed on the day his daughter was born

Gaza City, Gaza Strip – May 7, 2025, was the time Amal Sobeih’s girl was born. It was besides the time her hubby was killed.

Yahya Sobeih saw small Sana travel into the world. At six successful the morning, helium took Amal to the infirmary arsenic she struggled done labour pains.

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At the time, Israel’s genocidal warfare connected Gaza was inactive raging, and subject strikes crossed the enclave had not stopped.

But the mates were filled with excitement arsenic they prepared to invited their 3rd child, and the archetypal sister to their 2 sons, Baraa and Kenan, who were 4 and 3 astatine the time.

Amal explains that doctors told her she needed an exigency caesarean conception aft she arrived successful the hospital, but speech from that, the transportation went smoothly.

“It was a cleanable time astatine the opening … the transportation went quickly, the babe was healthy, and everyone was happy,” Amal says.

“Yahya was overjoyed. He carried his girl and kept telling everyone, ‘My beauteous princess is here.’”

He went connected to walk respective hours with his woman and newborn daughter. He checked connected them, recited the Islamic telephone to supplication into the baby’s ears, took photos of her, and welcomed relatives who arrived to congratulate him.

Before leaving, Yahya told Amal helium would measurement retired concisely and instrumentality soon.

“He asked maine to remainder and instrumentality attraction of myself. He said helium would cheque connected our 2 boys astatine location and bring immoderate supplies for the baby, past travel backmost truthful we could take a sanction together,” Amal recalls. “Unfortunately, I did not cognize that would beryllium the past clip we would ever spot Yahya.”

Yahya, who worked arsenic a journalist, survived for 5 hours aft the commencement of his babe daughter, whose photograph helium proudly shared connected societal media portion holding her successful his arms.

Later that day, Yahya was killed successful an Israeli aerial strike targeting a commercialized country successful cardinal Gaza City. The onslaught killed astatine slightest 17 radical and wounded dozens more.

Sana, whose commencement past twelvemonth coincided with the decease of her father, Yahya Sobeih, astatine her household location successful cardinal Gaza City [Abdelhakim Abu Riash/Al Jazeera]

Shocking news

Relatives gathered astir Amal successful the infirmary were unsure however to interruption the quality to her, truthful soon aft she had fixed birth.

Their lone interest was however they would archer her portion she remained successful specified a fragile carnal and affectional authorities aft delivery.

But she knew thing was up.

“There were changeless telephone calls, tense faces, conversations that abruptly stopped whenever I came close. Even the aesculapian unit kept checking connected me, and my parent was whispering each the time,” Amal says.

“I kept asking my mother, ‘Is thing wrong? What’s happening?’ But cipher answered maine clearly. Everyone spoke successful a unusual way,” she explains. “I picked up my telephone and instantly called Yahya. I called much than 15 times, but helium ne'er answered, which was dissimilar him. He ever answered maine instantly oregon astatine slightest sent a message.”

She lone recovered retired what had happened aft she accessed the internet.

“The header appeared close successful beforehand of me: ‘Journalist Yahya Sobeih killed 5 hours aft welcoming his newborn daughter,’” Amal says done tears. “I felt the humor frost successful my veins. I screamed uncontrollably due to the fact that I could not judge it. I felt similar I was losing my mind.”

Yahya had been attacked portion distributing sweets to relatives and friends successful solemnisation of his daughter’s birth. Among those killed with him were his cousin, his closest person and his brother-in-law – the aforesaid radical who had been successful the infirmary lone hours earlier congratulating him, holding the babe and taking photos.

Amal says the daze was not lone successful losing him, but besides successful being incapable to accidental goodbye. Still recovering from surgery, she was forced to stay lying successful furniture for hours.

“I conscionable wanted to spot him 1 past clip … to interaction him, to accidental goodbye … but I couldn’t.”

Yahya Sobeih was killed 5 hours aft his girl was born. He was capable to clasp her and instrumentality photographs with her earlier leaving the infirmary [Abdelhakim Abu Riash/Al Jazeera]

A twelvemonth of grief

Amal had already mislaid her brother, his wife, and their 3 children successful the war, arsenic good arsenic her sister and her 4 children, each killed successful Israeli attacks.

But Amal calls the past 12 months, since the decease of Yahya, “the twelvemonth of grief”. She says she has battled done not 1 war, but two: the ongoing subject struggle itself and the conflict of raising her children alone.

Yahya’s abrupt lack forced Amal into a world she had ne'er imagined, adjacent though helium had often prepared her for the anticipation that helium could beryllium killed astatine immoderate infinitesimal due to the fact that of his enactment arsenic a tract writer covering the war.

“Every clip I heard astir a writer being killed, I felt terrified,” Amal says tearfully. “But I ne'er imagined I would suffer him.”

Only a fewer months aft Yahya’s death, Amal was displaced with her 3 children to confederate Gaza aft the Israeli subject announced a crushed cognition successful Gaza City past September.

She describes the suffering of searching for structure and surviving successful a structure nether harsh conditions with a four-month-old babe and 2 young boys who were inactive struggling to recognize their father’s absence.

“Yahya was a root of support, a fantastic hubby and father. We ne'er lacked thing with him around, adjacent during the war,” she says. “During the famine, helium searched for nutrient and paid immoderate helium could for his children. Losing him nether specified circumstances was unimaginably painful.”

Gradually, Amal realised she had to go some parent and begetter to her children.

Despite her grief, she decided to proceed her husband’s way and began moving for the aforesaid media institution helium worked for.

“I effort to proceed my husband’s message, to enactment beardown for myself and for my children,” Amal says portion holding them close.

“I effort to flight the achy questions my children perpetually ask: ‘Where is dad? When is dada coming back?’ Working successful a akin tract to their begetter whitethorn comfortableness them a little, but thing tin regenerate his absence.”

What pains Amal astir is reasoning astir small Sana, who has conscionable turned one, and wondering however she volition 1 time explicate to her girl that the time she was calved was besides the time she mislaid her father.

“I ever look astatine my daughter’s look and find thing of her begetter successful her … successful her features, successful her smile, adjacent successful the mode she comes adjacent to maine whenever I cry,” Amal says portion holding Sana successful her arms. “She hugs maine arsenic if she is comforting me.”

“I was precise hesitant astir celebrating Sana’s day today,” she adds, with a day barroom and a fewer sweets she prepared successful an effort to bring joyousness to her children adjacent to her, arsenic good arsenic her precocious husband’s photo. “But successful the end, I decided to determination forward, adjacent if it is lone thing simple.”

“If Yahya were here, helium would person celebrated her … Sana carries nary blame.”

The Sobeih household decided to observe Sana’s archetypal day contempt their heavy grief implicit the nonaccomplishment of Yahya Sobeih connected the aforesaid day [Abdelhakim Abu Riash/Al Jazeera]