A baby sent back to Gaza after open-heart surgery

BarcelonaNiveen was born in the midst of the war in Gaza, as Israeli bombing devastated the Strip, an offensive that has caused the deaths of more than 17,000 children, according to data from the Gaza Ministry of Health. She came into the world with a hole in her heart.

In an interview with the BBC, the mother of this seven-month-old baby, Enas Abu Daqqa, recounts the difficulties she endured keeping her daughter alive in a collapsed health system: "She wasn't gaining weight and got sick very easily," she explains.

Faced with desperation and a lack of medical resources, the only hope they found was to leave Gaza. In early March, thanks to a brief truce between Hamas and Israel, Niveen and 28 other seriously ill children were able to be transferred to Jordan for urgent medical care. The neighboring country opened the doors of its hospitals, where the little girl underwent open-heart surgery. The procedure was successful, and the little girl began a slow recovery.

Niveen's mother and older sister were also able to leave Gaza, but two weeks after the operation, when Israel broke the ceasefireThe Jordanian authorities informed them that Niveen had to return to Gaza. On May 12, they informed Enas that her daughter's treatment had been completed. The children in the Gaza Strip were in good medical condition and were able to complete their treatment. They also noted that it had been made very clear from the outset: once they improved, the children had to return to Gaza. The BBC reported. It added that the return of the seventeen children would allow for the evacuation of new groups of sick children from Gaza.

Now, back in a makeshift tent in the Al Shati refugee camp in the northern Gaza Strip, Enas lives in anguish over Niveen's health. "My daughter is in a very serious condition that could lead to death," she explained on the BBC. "She has a heart condition. Sometimes she chokes and turns blue. She can't continue living in a tent."

Several mothers report that, upon returning from Jordan, the Israeli authorities confiscated their belongings, including the medication that children, like Niveen, needed to continue taking after the operation. Other families also claim they are without their children's medical records, which were seized by Israeli security checkpoints.

All this is happening while Israel maintains its blockade on the Strip and harms especially children. On March 2, Israel cut off all access to humanitarian aid and basic assistance. There is no food, no baby milk, no fuel, no medicine. up to 14,000 babies could die due to lack of food.