She survived an Israeli raid that left babies decomposing. Now she awaits treatment
A Gaza girl who survived a hospital raid and oxygen cutoff still needs treatment abroad, but Israel has not let her leave.
Intelligence analysis by GPT-5.4 Mini
The story follows Nour Abu Samaan, a Gaza baby who survived bombardment and an incubator losing oxygen at al-Nasr Children's Hospital in November 2023. Nearly three years later, she lives with disability, needs ongoing care, and still cannot access treatment outside Gaza.
A baby named Nour survived when bombs and a hospital crisis cut off the air and power she needed. Her body lived, but her brain was hurt and she still needs care, like a tiny plant that survived a fire but still needs a greenhouse.
Analysis
Survival in a collapsing hospital
Nour Abu Samaan was born just hours before the war began in October 2023. After a strike near the family home, she lost consciousness and was taken to al-Nasr Children's Hospital in Gaza City, where doctors said she was dying and later linked her condition to inhaling toxic gases released during the bombardment.
As Israeli forces advanced on the hospital in November 2023, Nour remained in an incubator with other newborns. Her mother, Samar Hammad, says the baby repeatedly lost oxygen and had to be resuscitated. After repeated pleas, hospital staff let Hammad take her daughter home "at my own responsibility" before the army stormed the facility.
What happened after the raid
Hammad says she left the hospital on 9 November 2023. Later that day, Israeli forces struck the hospital and cut oxygen supplies to the neonatal intensive care unit. When staff returned during a temporary ceasefire on 28 November, they found four babies dead. Nour was the only infant from the incubator ward known to have survived.
The survival was not the end of the ordeal. Hammad carried her daughter between medical facilities as fighting intensified, at one point getting trapped in a school sheltering displaced families. Doctors at al-Ahli Arab Hospital later diagnosed brain calcification, which they said was most likely caused by phosphorus gas inhalation, and recommended continuous physiotherapy.
For six months, Hammad took Nour daily to al-Wafa Hospital for treatment. But the family's struggle was not only medical. The article says they also faced severe shortages of food and water while living under siege, and that Israel is still blocking Nour from receiving life-changing treatment abroad. The piece frames her as a child who survived one immediate danger only to face a prolonged fight for care in a shattered health system.
Key points
- Nour Abu Samaan survived a neonatal ward crisis at al-Nasr Children's Hospital in November 2023.
- Her mother says she had to insist on taking her out of the hospital before Israeli forces reached it.
- When staff later returned, they found four babies dead; Nour was the only known survivor from the incubator ward.
- Doctors later diagnosed brain calcification and recommended continuous physiotherapy.
- The article says Israel is still blocking her from receiving treatment abroad.
If Nour is eventually allowed to travel, doctors abroad may be able to give her the specialized care her family says she still needs. Continued physiotherapy and steadier access to food and water could also help her condition improve.
If permits and the siege conditions do not change, Nour may stay stuck without the treatment that could improve her disability. Gaza's damaged hospitals and shortages make long-term therapy hard to sustain, especially for a child who needs regular care.
