RAFAH,
Gaza Strip/CAIRO, April 21 (Reuters) - A baby girl was delivered from
the womb of a Palestinian killed along with her husband and daughter by
an Israeli attack in the Gaza city of Rafah, where 19 people died overnight in intensified strikes, Palestinian health officials said.
The dead, killed in hits on two houses, included 13 children from one family, they said.
The
baby, weighing 1.4 kg (3.09 lb)and delivered in an emergency C-section,
was stable and improving gradually, said Mohammed Salama, a doctor
caring for her.
Her mother, Sabreen Al-Sakani, had been 30 weeks pregnant.
The
baby was placed in an incubator in a Rafah hospital alongside another
infant, with the words "The baby of the martyr Sabreen Al-Sakani"
written on tape across her chest.
Sakani's
young daughter Malak, who was killed in the strike, had wanted to name
her new sister Rouh, meaning spirit in Arabic, said her uncle Rami
Al-Sheikh. "The little girl Malak was happy that her sister was coming
to the world," he said.
The
baby would stay in hospital for three to four weeks, said Salama, the
doctor. "After that we will see about her leaving, and where this child
will go, to the family, to the aunt or uncle or grandparents. Here is
the biggest tragedy. Even if this child survives, she was born an
orphan," he said.
The
13 children were killed in a strike on the second home, belonging to
the Abdel Aal family, according to Palestinian health officials. Two
women were also killed in that strike.
Asked
about the casualties in Rafah, an Israeli military spokesperson said
various militant targets were struck in Gaza including military
compounds, launch posts and armed people.
"Did
you see one man in all of those killed?" said Saqr Abdel Aal, a
Palestinian man whose family were among the dead, grieving over the body
of a child in a white shroud.
"All are women and children," he said. "My entire identity has been wiped out, with my wife, children and everyone."