Reuters journalist Mohammed Salem was filming the aftermath of Israeli bombing in Gaza on Thursday morning, when he received an urgent message: his wife was going into labour at home.
He switched off his camera and rushed to pick her up. He was grateful that she might deliver during the day when Israeli attacks tend to be less frequent, but worried by the prospect of welcoming a baby during the throes of war.
"It is hard to get around during the night, with all of the attacks and ambulances," said Salem, 39, who is part of a Reuters team in the Palestinian enclave covering Israel's retaliation to a deadly attack by Hamas militants. Salem, still wearing a protective flak jacket, picked up his wife, Khawla, and drove in his armoured vehicle to Gaza City's Al-Sahaba hospital.The conflict was set off by a Hamas rampage through southern Israeli towns this week that killed at least 1,300 people. Israel has responded by launching a powerful bombing campaign that has killed more than 1,500 Palestinians.
Still equipped with his camera, Salem filmed scenes around the hospital. One shows his son, dressed in white, letting out a big cry. Another shows a nurse holding a newborn baby. "While covering all the pain, on streets and in hospitals, and capturing it through a lens, I received this joyful news," said Salem, who also has four daughters.Sheltering in a converted shipping container, Ismet Kaplan waits to hear if he's eligible for one of hundreds of thousands of homes President Tayyip Erdogan promised would replace those ruined by modern Turkey's deadliest earthquake in February.
United States Latest News, United States Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
Israel-Gaza war live updates: 27 Americans dead, U.S. says; Gaza hospitals running out of suppliesSecretary of State Antony Blinken is in Tel Aviv in a show of support for Israel after the Hamas attack. Gaza hospitals face dire shortages amid Israel’s siege.
Read more »
Israel-Gaza war live updates: Israel urges 1.1M people in north Gaza Strip to evacuateThe U.N. said the evacuation warnings, which affects nearly half the Gaza population, could “transform what is already a tragedy into a calamitous situation.”
Read more »
Israel-Gaza war live updates: Blinken says 27 Americans dead; Gaza hospitals running out of suppliesSecretary of State Antony Blinken is in Tel Aviv in a show of support for Israel after the Hamas attack. Gaza hospitals face dire shortages amid Israel’s siege.
Read more »
Israel-Gaza war live updates: 27 Americans dead, Kirby says; Gaza hospitals running out of suppliesSecretary of State Antony Blinken is in Tel Aviv in a show of support for Israel after the Hamas attack. Gaza hospitals face dire shortages amid Israel’s siege.
Read more »
Israel-Gaza war live updates: Blinken says 25 Americans dead; Gaza hospitals running out of suppliesSecretary of State Antony Blinken is in Tel Aviv in a show of support for Israel after the Hamas attack. Gaza hospitals face dire shortages amid Israel’s siege.
Read more »
City Council President Ron Salem only person to vote against bill condemning attack against IsraelAction News Jax is pressing a top leader in Jacksonville for answers after he was the only person to vote against a resolution condemning the attack against Israel.
Read more »