Gazan mother separated from prematurely born triplet

In August 2023, Hanan al-Bayouk traveled from Gaza to east Jerusalem for a high-risk premature birth, according to a Reuters report on Monday.

Her triplets, born underweight, were doing well, but she had to leave them shortly after they were born and did not know when she would be able to hold them again. While her babies were all in intensive care, al-Bayouk had to return to Gaza to avoid problems with the law.

By the time the babies were ready to go home, Hamas invaded Israel, killing some 1,200 people and kidnapping another 251. The Israel-Hamas War meant that Israeli security protocols were enforced more robustly, requiring residents of the Gaza Strip to leave Israeli territory and prohibiting them from entering Israel.

Al-Bayouk, 26, had to leave her premature and underweight babies at the hospital in east Jerusalem, where Hamas was not entrenched, and therefore, there was no risk of airstrikes or raids while she was in the Gaza Strip.

Triplets doing well

Her daughters, Najwa, Nour, and Najmah, are being cared for at the Makassed Hospital, where there are colorful drawings on the walls, toys, and baby walkers for them.

The triplets are developing normally, said Dr. Hatem Khammash, director of neonatal intensive care at the hospital. "Good mental development, also their breathing is good," he said. "The only thing that makes us sad is that they are far away from their mother."

Doctors and nurses communicate with al-Bayouk via WhatsApp while continuously repeating "Mama, Mama" to encourage the girls to focus on their mother's small image on the phone as they reach out to grab the screen.