A baby was removed from the womb of a Palestinian woman killed in the Gaza Strip along with her husband and their daughter in an Israeli attack in the city of Rafah, where 19 people died during the night as a result of the intensified strikes, reported Reuters, quoted by BTA.
Among the dead, killed in strikes on two houses, were 13 children from one family, Palestinian health authorities said.
The newborn baby girl, weighing 1.4 kg and delivered by emergency caesarean section, is stable and gradually improving, said Mohamed Salama, a doctor who is caring for him.
Her mother, Sabrin al-Saqani, was 30 weeks pregnant.
The baby was placed in an incubator at a hospital in Rafah along with another baby, with the words "Baby of Martyr Sabrin Al Sakani" written on tape on his chest.
Saqani's young daughter Malak, who was killed in the strike, wanted to name her new baby sister Ruh, which means spirit in Arabic, her uncle Rami Al Sheikh said. "The little girl Malak was happy that her sister was coming into the world," he said.
The baby will stay in the hospital for three to four weeks, said Dr. Salama. "After that, we will see what will happen to her and where this child will go - in the family, with an aunt or uncle, or grandparents. This is the greatest tragedy. Even if that child survives, he is born an orphan," he says.
The 13 children died in the strike on the second home belonging to the Abdel Aal family, according to Palestinian health authorities. Two women were also killed in the shelling.
When asked about the casualties in Rafah, an Israeli military spokesman said a variety of targets had been struck in Gaza, including military compounds, rocket launch sites and gunmen.
"Did you see one man among all those killed?" asks Saqr Abdel Aal, a Palestinian whose family was among the dead, mourning over the body of a child in a white shroud. "They are all women and children," he said. "My whole identity has been erased, along with my wife, kids and everyone."
More than half of Gaza's 2.3 million Palestinians have flocked to Rafah, seeking refuge from the Israeli offensive that has hit much of the Gaza Strip over the past six months. Israel is threatening a ground offensive in the area where, according to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, fighters from the militant group "Hamas" must be eliminated to ensure Israel's victory in the war, Reuters points out.