Born and Injured in War: 5-Day-Old Nour and Her Mother Injured in Missile Attack on their Home

Nour Abu Issa was born on 11 July 2014, four days after the start of Israel's Operation Protective Edge. She was injured in an aerial attack by the Israeli occupation forces (IOF) on her house, which occurred at approximately 6:45 pm on Monday, 14 July 2014. Her mother, Nada, a nursing mother, was hit in the chest and injured, along with six other members of the family. No prior warning was given to the family that an attack was imminent.

According to an initial investigation into the case by the Al Mezan Center for Human Rights in which members of the family and the treating doctors  were interviewed, an IOF drone fired a missile at the house of Yousef Abu Issa, 58 at approximately 6:45pm. The house is roofed by asbestos and was targeted when its residents were gathered inside. The attack caused severe damage to the house and caused injuries to all of its residents; eight people including the 5-day baby and her mother. They have been identified as:

·    Yousef Abu Issa, 58; injuries to the legs and eyes;

·    Feryal Abu Issa, 58 (his wife); injuries to abdomen and arms;

·    Hadeel Abu Issa, 31 (his daughter); critical injuries to the head, face, back and abdomen;

·    Hassan Abu Issa, 21 (his son); injuries to the limbs;

·    Jehad Abu Issa, 22 (his son); injuries to the head and arms;

·    Hayil Abu Issa, 29 (his son); injuries to different parts of the body;

·    Nada Abu Issa, 27 (a nursing mother); injuries to the chest and other parts; and

·    Nour Abu Issa, 5 days (Nada's baby); injuries to the limbs;

The neighbors rushed to the house to help and, soon after, ambulances arrived to carry the injured to the hospital. Feryal, Nour's grandmother, stated to Al Mezan that she was preparing “mlukhiya leaves”,a traditional Palestinian soup, next to her daughter, Hadeel. "It was hot and the power was off, so I advised my daughter-in-law, Nada, to take the baby and sit in the hall to catch  the breeze," she said. A minute later, there was a loud blast. I saw Hadeel lying on the ground and thought she was killed."

Nada told Al Mezan that she had just given birth to her baby-girl, Nour, on Friday, 11 July 2014. "Because of the attacks on Gaza, I preferred to leave the hospital and go home; advised me  to stay in a safe place. The days have been hot with long periods without power and constant sounds of explosions.” She added that "about an hour before breakfast, the explosion occurred. I was injured and  I cannot nurse my baby anymore."

Dr. Mona Nasser, who helped deliver Nour, said the situation was dire for Nour and her mother. She said the injuries of the mother and baby might have long-term effects.

Al Mezan has documented 37 cases of children and 28 cases of women killed by IOF fire over the last eight days;  330 children and 270 adults have been injured. The  constant IOF attacks have been largely  directed at civilian targets in violation of the rules of international law. Nour's case, along with many others, demands a credible, swift investigation, to the standards of international law. The persons involved in these types of attacks must be held accountable for the violations. The victims must be allowed access to affective remedies and redress.

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Gaza Diaries Link:

http://www.mezan.org/en/details.php?id=19236&ddname=IOF&id2=7&id_dept=22&p=center_more