Gaza Mother Fears for Life After War Separates Her from Triplets

Photo : AFP

Jerusalem: As the first birthday of her triplets approaches, Gaza-native Hanane Bayouk's maternal anguish deepens. The 26-year-old gave birth to her daughters—Najoua, Nour, and Najmeh—at Jerusalem’s Al-Maqased Hospital on August 24, 2023, after enduring seven years of painful IVF treatments. However, her Israeli travel permit expired, forcing her to return to Gaza without her newborns.

Bayouk was granted the permit to leave Gaza to give birth in Jerusalem, a move necessitated by the critical condition of her triplets, who required immediate care in an area with more resources than Gaza. After giving birth, she was allowed only a brief, heart-wrenching glimpse of her children in their incubators—just an hour and a half—before she was compelled to leave due to the permit’s expiration.

Bayouk had planned to return to Jerusalem in early October to be reunited with her daughters, who had spent weeks in incubators. However, her return was thwarted by a violent escalation in the region. On October 5, Hamas commandos launched a severe attack on the Erez terminal, the only access point between Gaza and Israel. This unprecedented assault resulted in the deaths of 1,198 people, primarily civilians.

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The retaliatory Israeli military campaign has since claimed the lives of 40,265 Palestinians in Gaza, a figure reported by the Hamas-run health ministry. The UN rights office highlights that the majority of the casualties are women and children.

Amidst this chaos, Bayouk’s despair is compounded by her displacement. She now resides in a displacement camp in southern Gaza, sharing a tent with seven relatives. Despite her suffering, she grapples with the hope that her daughters are safe, far from the ravages of war. “It drives me crazy. It took so long to get pregnant, and now I’m constantly crying,” Bayouk told AFP. “Sometimes I wish my daughters could return to Gaza before I die because I’ve never kissed them. But I also tell myself it’s better for them to be safe.”

The Al-Maqased Hospital’s neonatal intensive care unit, where her triplets are being cared for, has also been affected by the conflict. Dr. Hatem Khammach, the unit director, notes that while normally the unit could accommodate up to 30 babies, the number of births has sharply decreased. Restrictions on travel permits have limited access for mothers from Gaza and the West Bank, exacerbating the situation.

The hospital has stopped receiving new cases from Gaza, and many from the West Bank are unable to reach the facility due to increased checkpoint closures. Despite these challenges, the hospital’s staff continues to facilitate communication between Bayouk and her daughters, a gesture that brings her both solace and sorrow. “My husband can’t do it. I handle it, and I cry every time we hang up. I’m afraid my daughters will grow up without knowing me,” Bayouk lamented.

As the conflict rages on, the heart-wrenching separation of Hanane Bayouk from her triplets underscores the profound human cost of the ongoing war.

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