In the heart of a humanitarian crisis in Gaza, the world witnessed a disturbing tragedy unfold as decomposing newborn babies were found in a hospital, abandoned due to an imminent Israeli invasion. This shocking discovery has raised serious questions about the U.S. State Department’s response to the situation and its stance on the ongoing conflict.
In the midst of chaos, the dedicated healthcare workers at al-Nassr Children’s Hospital found themselves forced to make an unimaginable decision. With Israeli tanks surrounding the facility, airstrikes cutting off oxygen supplies, and warnings of impending danger, they had to leave behind four prematurely born babies—children of some of the 1.8 million Palestinians forcibly displaced in Gaza.
“I felt like I was leaving my own children behind,” said one nurse. “If we had the ability to take them, we would have.”
Two weeks later, local journalist Mohammed Balousha visited al-Nassr and witnessed a heartbreaking scene. He described it as a “terrible and horrific scene” of mold-covered, worm-eaten bodies of the four babies, who had also been mauled by stray dogs.
The tragedy extended beyond al-Nassr Hospital. At al-Shifa Hospital, at least five premature babies died after Israeli bombardment knocked out electricity needed to power its incubators. The al-Rantisi Pediatric Hospital’s cancer ward also fell victim to Israeli airstrikes.
According to Gaza officials, the death toll includes at least 7,112 children among the more than 16,200 Palestinians killed in Gaza since Israel began its assault. These casualties have left the world in shock and disbelief.
While the world grappled with the horrifying images from Gaza, critics condemned the Biden administration for not pressing Israel for a permanent cease-fire. The administration’s request for an additional $14.3 billion in U.S. military aid to Israel, on top of the already substantial annual assistance of nearly $4 billion, raised eyebrows.
Workers at al-Nassr Children’s Hospital’s heart-wrenching accounts of abandonment and despair stand in stark contrast to U.S. policy.
An analysis by the Euro-Mediterranean Human Rights Monitor challenged Israel’s claims about the ratio of civilians to militants killed. Contrary to Israeli assertions, preliminary statistics indicated that at least 90% of the people killed in Israel’s assault on Gaza were civilians, with an estimated 19,660 civilians among the casualties, of which 60% were women and children.
These figures have cast serious doubt on the accuracy of the information provided by the Israeli forces.
Reports suggest that Israel’s latest assault on Gaza has been exceptionally deadly for civilians. The destruction of northern Gaza in less than seven weeks has approached the scale of the bombings during the Second World War.
“Dresden, Hamburg, Cologne—some of the world’s heaviest-ever bombings are remembered by their place names,” U.S. military historian Robert Pape stated. “Gaza will also go down as a place name denoting one of history’s heaviest conventional bombing campaigns.”
Jan Egeland, secretary-general of the Norwegian Refugee Council, called it “the pulverizing of Gaza” and a grim chapter in human history.
As the world witnesses the unfolding tragedy in Gaza, it becomes increasingly clear that the humanitarian crisis demands immediate attention and resolution. The abandonment of newborns and the staggering civilian death toll underscore the urgency of the situation.
The controversy surrounding U.S. policy and the international response to the crisis highlights the need for decisive action to protect civilian lives and bring an end to the suffering in Gaza. The world must come together to address this humanitarian tragedy and seek a just and lasting solution to the conflict.
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