Global Women's Voices: Share Personal Stories

Nasser, Palestinian Auth. Areas

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I live with my wife, Sirin, 22, in Sallem. After two years of marriage, during which we underwent fertility treatment, our daughter was born four days ago. She was born at home because we were unable to get to the hospital in Nablus, which is around five kilometers from Sallem. We used an ambulance of the International Red Cross, but the Israeli soldiers would not let it get to the village. So I called a family doctor to come to our house to deliver the baby.

In his examination following the birth, the doctor said that the baby, whom we named Dunya, was in good medical condition. Three days later, her condition changed. She seemed to have problems in her chest area. The village doctor examined her and said that she had to get to the hospital to receive the immunization that newborns receive.

Yesterday, at eight in the evening, I called the Red Cross and asked them to send an ambulance to take Dunya to the hospital. The ambulance only reached the house at 11:00 P.M. the Israeli army had delayed it for about three hours. After we left the village on the way to the hospital, Israeli soldiers stopped us. They ordered us to get out of the ambulance and then searched it. They even checked the infant's clothes. Then they let us pass.

When we got to Faisal Street, which is around two kilometers from the hospital, we encountered two tanks in the middle of the road. The soldiers motioned to the ambulance driver to stop. We were stopped there for half an hour, during which none of the soldiers came over to us. While we were waiting, one of the first-aid team in the ambulance told us that Dunya had passed away. When we got to the hospital, a doctor in the emergency room confirmed that Dunya was dead. My wife became hysterical and later suffered a nervous breakdown.

Death of Dunya Satiyeh, a three-day-old infant, born at home after the Israeli Defence Forces prevented the evacuation of her mother to the hospital, died after the ambulance taking the newborn to the hospital was delayed twice by Israeli Defence Forces, 18 April, 2002.

Testimony of Nasser Suliman Muhammad Shatiyeh, 31, resident of Sallem

Source www.btselem.org

updated: 7/2/2004