UPDATED ON:
Thursday, January 22, 2009
13:33 Mecca time, 10:33 GMT
News Middle East
Gaza mother gives birth under fire
Nawal told how her mother helped deliver her baby (not pictured) while under
fire from Israeli troops
A Palestinian woman has described in an exclusive interview with Al Jazeera how
she gave birth as her house was being shelled by Israeli forces during the war
on Gaza.
In footage broadcast on Al Jazeera on Thursday, 37-year-old Nawal Samouni told
how she gave birth as the Israeli army prevented medical teams from reaching
her.
Nawal gave birth three weeks earlier than expected as her family huddled in a
house in Zeitoun, shelled by Israeli forces.
"I was so scared," she said: "My mother delivered my baby ... but the placenta
wouldn't come out. It took another two hours."
Imtissal Samouni, Nawal's mother, told Al Jazeera: "The strikes and the
shelling were all around us. It was night time and there was no electricity so
we held a candle up to see.
"I tried to take out the placenta but there were more strikes so it wouldn't
come out ... and Nawal started bleeding heavily. I cut the umbilical cord with
a knife as it was around the baby's neck."
Civilians killed
The Israeli army prevented paramedics from entering the area where the family
was sheltering for several days, according to the Samouni family.
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When they finally escaped, Israeli soldiers shot at them, Nawal's other
children told Al Jazeera, saying that the soldiers had looked on them and
laughed.
Accounts of what happened to the Samounis and others like them in Gaza during
Israel's 22-day offensive on the Palestinian territory are only just beginning
to emerge.
Al Jazeera's Sherine Tadros, who covered the war in Gaza as well as the Samouni
family's story, said that many Palestinians had approached her with accounts of
family members being killed in front of their eyes.
Over 1,300 Palestinians died in the Israeli offensive and homes and
infrastructure in Gaza were destroyed.
Israel has also come under criticism for using phosphorus weapons in built up
civilian areas.
Temporary ceasefire
The UN's nuclear watchdog, The International Atomic Energy Agency, has said it
will open an investigation into Israel's alleged use of depleted uranium during
its campaign.
On Sunday, Hamas and Israel separately declared ceasefires which continue to
hold.
The UN Security Council has issued a statement calling for the ceasefires to be
turned into a "durable" truce agreement, calling for guarantees to prevent arms
being smuggled via tunnels in Gaza and for Israel to open all border crossings.
The council has also expressed "grave concern" at the humanitarian situation in
Gaza.
The US supported the press statement, which came out on Wednesday, having
abstained from backing an earlier, legally-binding resolution adopted by the
security council on January 8.
Source: Al Jazeera
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