Mother’s grief: Gaza infant dies from fear after Israeli airstrike

GAZA CITY, Palestine

Palestinian infant Nada Kabaja did not finish sleeping peacefully because an Israeli airstrike near her home caused her heart to stop, leading to her death from extreme fright.

Eleven-month-old Nada was sleeping next to her mother and siblings on Aug. 26 when they were abruptly awakened by a terrifying airstrike, causing panic throughout the house.

The family immediately woke up, and the mother, Dua Rudi, found her baby with a blue-tinged face and refusing to nurse.

It prompted 26-year-old Dua Rudi to rush her daughter to a nearby hospital, where Neda was pronounced dead.

Inside the home, the grieving mother recalled her daughter while scrolling through pictures on her phone. She clutches Nada’s tiny clothes with deep sorrow.

The mother said Nada had no prior medical conditions but would often be startled by the sounds of explosions and fighter jets.

“My baby died after her heart stopped from fear of the Israeli bombing near our home. She had no prior health issues,” Dua Rudi told Anadolu. “

My daughter’s death followed an airstrike that caused the house to shake violently. We all woke up in terror, and I held Nada, but she was silent and limp. I tried to feed her, but she refused.

“I gave her some water, but she vomited it, and her face turned blue," she added.

The mother said she quickly took Nada to the Al-Awda Hospital in the Nuseirat refugee camp in the central Gaza Strip, where doctors conducted tests.

It was not long before Nada was declared dead due to cardiac arrest from fright, according to Rudi.

The heartbroken mother expressed deep sorrow for the loss of her baby, who was the center of her life.

“She used to play and laugh next to me all the time. I can’t believe she’s gone. I can’t sleep without her, and when I open my eyes, I don’t see her anymore,” she said.

Rudi also expressed hope that none of her children would be harmed as the war continues. She wishes for the conflict to end soon.

The grieving mother urged the international community and the Muslim world to take action to stop the war, which continues to claim the lives of Palestinians.

Since the war in Gaza began Oct. 7, 16,715 Palestinian children have been killed, including 115 babies who were born and killed during the onslaught, according to Gaza’s Government Media Office.

In July, the United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) said children are “paying the highest price in Gaza, amid displacement and fears of losing their childhoods.”

Israel has continued its brutal offensive on Gaza since a Hamas attack last October, despite a UN Security Council resolution demanding an immediate cease-fire.

Nearly 40,900 Palestinians, mostly women and children, have since been killed and more than 94,400 injured, according to local health authorities.

An ongoing blockade of the enclave has led to severe shortages of food, clean water and medicine, leaving much of the region in ruins.

Israel faces accusations of genocide for its actions in Gaza at the International Court of Justice.

*Writing by Mohammad Sio​​​​​​​