A mother’s touch helps premature babies grow strong in Gaza

Khan Younis, Gaza Strip – For 11 days after giving birth last month, Rania Fadel could not hold her newborn son.The 24-year-old gave birth to twin boys, Ilyas and Yahya, on September 25.Recommended Stories list of 3 itemslist 1 of 3Al Jazeera probe exposes fake viewing numbers for Israeli counter-filmlist 2 of 3‘Each country goes its own way’: How Balkan politics shape ties with Israellist 3 of 3‘Our works are next to each other’: Art bridges Gaza and West Bankend of listWhile Yahya was born healthy, Ilyas was admitted to the neonatal intensive care unit at Nasser Medical Complex in Khan Younis, in southern Gaza, where he remained for nearly two weeks.Born prematurely, Ilyas weighed just 1.4 kilogrammes (3 pounds) at birth, according to his mother. He had medical issues affecting his blood and lungs, she said, and needed specialised care in an incubator.Rania herself was recovering from a Caesarean section when her son was taken into intensive care. For days, she could not hold him.“When they called me to hold him, I rushed over,” she recalled. “I was in a hurry to get to him. It was such a feeling.”As Ilyas’s condition improved and he moved from intensive care to the hospital’s ne...