Newborn twins killed in Gaza strike while father registered birth

Newborn twins killed in Gaza strike while father registered birth

/ 02:31 PM August 15, 2024

Newborn twins killed in Gaza strike while father registered birth

A Palestinian man mourns his 4-day-old twin relatives, killed in the Israeli bombardment of the Gaza Strip, as he holds their birth certificates, at a hospital morgue in Deir al-Balah, Tuesday, Aug. 13, 2024. Associated Press

KHAN YUNIS, Palestinian Territories — Mohammed Abu al-Qumsan had just collected the birth certificates of his three-day-old twins when he received the news: his Gaza apartment had been bombed, killing the babies and their mother.

Footage of a distraught Abu al-Qumsan, weeping and falling as he still holds the birth certificates, has been widely circulated on social media, becoming the latest emblem of the devastating toll of the war in the Palestinian territory.

Article continues after this advertisement

“I was in the hospital at the time when the house was targeted,” he says, tears streaming down his face.

FEATURED STORIES

READ: Over 13,000 children killed in Gaza in Israel offensive, says Unicef

Article continues after this advertisement

“There was a call, after the birth certificates were printed.

Article continues after this advertisement

“The caller asked, ‘Are you okay and where are you?’ I told them I was at Al-Aqsa Martyrs Hospital, and I was told that my house had been bombed.”

Article continues after this advertisement

Abu al-Qumsan had left his wife, the infants and his mother-in-law in the fifth-floor flat they shared in Deir al-Balah, in the central Gaza Strip, which has been relentlessly bombed by Israeli forces.

“I was informed that they are in Al-Aqsa Martyrs Hospital and I told them I am at the entrance to the hospital,” he says.

Article continues after this advertisement

READ: A child killed on average every 10 minutes in Gaza, says WHO chief

“I went inside the hospital with the birth certificates in my hands… and they told me they are in the morgue.”

An Israeli military spokesperson, when asked for comment on the strike, told AFP: “The details of the incident as published are not currently known to the IDF (Israel Defense Forces).”

On Wednesday, with his home obliterated and his family gone, Abu al-Qumsan folded unused pink and yellow baby clothes outside a blue tent in Al-Mawasi, a coastal area that Israel has declared a humanitarian zone.

He never got the chance to show his wife that their babies had been legally named: Aser, the boy, and Aysal, the girl.

“On the same day I obtained their birth certificates, I also had to submit their death certificates, for my children, and also for their mother.

“I did not get the chance to celebrate their arrival. Their clothes are new, they did not wear them,” he says, also showing a half-full pack of nappies.

“These nappies, we had a hard time finding them. For three months, we have been trying to buy some” in the Gaza Strip, where there has been a dire shortage of basic supplies since the start of the war.

‘Living in terror’

The Gaza war began with Hamas’s October 7 attack on southern Israel which resulted in the deaths of 1,198 people, mostly civilians, according to an AFP tally of Israeli official figures.

Militants also seized 251 people, 111 of whom are still held captive in Gaza, including 39 the military says are dead.

Israel’s retaliatory military offensive in Gaza has killed at least 39,965 people, according to a toll from the territory’s health ministry, which does not provide a breakdown of civilian and militant deaths.

Abu al-Qumsan married his wife Jumana, a pharmacist, in July last year, before the war plunged their lives into chaos.

She endured a traumatic pregnancy as they fled from place to place to escape the bombardments. Despite carrying twins, she insisted on volunteering in hospitals until the seventh month.

“Since the beginning of the war, I have been afraid every day, living in terror, and I was afraid that she would miscarry,” Abu al-Qumsan says.

“We lost friends, family, and people who were very dear to us,” he adds.

“We were in a lot of pain, we were very scared. We ran a lot.”

Your subscription could not be saved. Please try again.
Your subscription has been successful.

Subscribe to our daily newsletter

By providing an email address. I agree to the Terms of Use and acknowledge that I have read the Privacy Policy.

“I want to know why she was killed in this way. I want to know why she was targeted. In the house, in a safe area,” he says.

“There was no prior warning of the bombing of the house. I have nothing to do with military action. We are civilians.”

TAGS: deaths, Israel-Hamas war

Your subscription could not be saved. Please try again.
Your subscription has been successful.

Subscribe to our newsletter!

By providing an email address. I agree to the Terms of Use and acknowledge that I have read the Privacy Policy.

© Copyright 1997-2024 INQUIRER.net | All Rights Reserved

This is an information message

We use cookies to enhance your experience. By continuing, you agree to our use of cookies. Learn more here.