Samar Hammad gave birth to her youngest daughter, Nour Abu Samaan, just hours before the war in Gaza began in October 2023.
When she chose the name Nour – Arabic for "light" – the Palestinian mother could not have imagined that her newborn would soon be fighting for her life in a hospital incubator as Israeli forces advanced on the facility, cutting off electricity and oxygen supplies and leaving several newborns dead.
Nour survived against all odds, her mother says, but almost three years later she is still living with a disability made worse by Israel’s ongoing siege.
"I gave birth to Nour as a completely healthy baby on the eve of the war," Hammad told Middle East Eye from a tent in central Gaza City.
Only hours after returning home, she said, Israeli strikes hit near the family's neighbourhood. A building close to their house was bombed, and by the following day, Nour had begun losing consciousness.
