The 21-day conflict between Hamas and Israelis in the Gaza Strip has claimed the lives of 1,030 Palestinians, mainly civilians, and 45 Israelis, primarily soldiers. Earlier this week, an air strike obliterated a playground in a densely populated Shati refugee camp on the edge of Gaza City.
The explosion killed eight Palestinian children and two adults, wounding another 46 people. The photographs of the aftermath are haunting and heartbreaking. It's enough to make anyone weep. And yet, a miracle took place within the most tragic of times: After an expectant Palestinian mother was killed during the airstrike, doctors managed to deliver her baby via an emergency C-section. Doctors believe the premature baby's survival is nothing short of miraculous.
Read more ¿Qué más?: Police put 7-month pregnant woman in chokehold & it's all caught on video
And yet, while the arrival of a new child should be cause for celebration, most locals felt mixed emotions, rejoicing over the baby's survival yet mourning the loss of the eight innocent children killed during the blast. Even if the premature baby, Shayma Shiekh al-Eid, survives these next critical weeks, she'll grow up motherless in a city that has been reduced to rubble.
Nearly 170,000 Palestinians have been displaced after their homes were essentially pulverized, and have since sought shelter in United Nations-run schools and refugee camps. Adding to the crisis, access to basic food and medical supplies is increasingly limited. Access to agricultural areas has become nonexistent and, with the prices of dairy, meat and vegetable items rising, many Palestinians find themselves struggling to feed their families.
Yesterday, when most devout Muslims celebrated the Eid al-Fitr holiday, which marks the end of Ramadan, a number of Palestinians found themselves hiding inside their homes, fearful of another air strike. All signs say that this bombing was an Israeli attack, but Israel has denied any involvement in the air strike, insisting adamantly that the explosion was the result of Hamas rockets that somehow misfired. The blame game will likely continue, as it has over several incidents throughout this bloody conflict.
Will the violence ever end? One can only hope–for the sake of everyone in Gaza, for the newly arrived "miracle baby" and all those who, like her, deserve a peaceful existence.
Image via Corbis
