'Held with her newborn by these murderers': Pregnant hostage gives birth in Gaza

Joey Garrison, USA TODAY
Updated ·2 min read
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WASHINGTON − A woman who Hamas is holding hostage in Gaza gave birth to a baby while in captivity, according to the Israeli Prime Minister's Office.

The revelation came in a letter from the wife of Israel's Prime Minister, Sara Netanyahu, to first lady Jill Biden seeking her help in calling for the immediate release of children and all other hostages held in Gaza.

There are 32 children among the more than 240 hostages taken to Gaza after the Oct. 7 Hamas attack on Israel, Sara Netanyahu says in the letter, which was publicized by the prime minister's office Thursday.

"I am writing to you not only as Bibi's wife but first and foremost as a mother," she writes, singling out children in Israel who were "brutally torn from their parents and their homes."

Relatives, friends and supporters of Israeli hostages held in Gaza since the October 7 attack by Hamas militants in southern Israel, hold placards and images of those taken during a protest for their release in the central city of Modiin on November 16 2023, as they march towards Jerusalem.
Relatives, friends and supporters of Israeli hostages held in Gaza since the October 7 attack by Hamas militants in southern Israel, hold placards and images of those taken during a protest for their release in the central city of Modiin on November 16 2023, as they march towards Jerusalem.

Sara Netanyahu said the children are surely suffering from "untold trauma," not only from being kidnapped but, for some, witnessing the murders of their parents and siblings.

"One of the kidnapped women was pregnant," she writes in the letter. "She gave birth to her baby in Hamas captivity. You can only imagine, as I do, what must be going through that young mother's mind as she is being held with her newborn by these murderers."

Hamas also abducted a 10-month-old who "became kidnapped even before he learned how to walk and talk," Sara Netanyahu writes.

"We must speak out on behalf of these children," she concludes. "We must call for the immediate release of them and all those being held. We must demand the Red Cross visit them immediately. They have yet to do so. The nightmare that began over a month ago must end. These children need our help."

Jill Biden, wife of President Joe Biden, second left, and Sara Netanyahu, wife of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, visit a pre-school for Christian, Jewish and Muslim children at the YMCA in Jerusalem Tuesday, March 9, 2010, when Joe Biden was vice president.
Jill Biden, wife of President Joe Biden, second left, and Sara Netanyahu, wife of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, visit a pre-school for Christian, Jewish and Muslim children at the YMCA in Jerusalem Tuesday, March 9, 2010, when Joe Biden was vice president.

A spokeswoman for the first lady's office did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

The U.S. said this week one of the nine Americans held as hostages in Gaza is a three-year-old toddler.

Biden, speaking in San Francisco on Wednesday, said he's "deeply involved" in a hostage negotiation involving Qatar and expressed optimism about getting the hostages out.

"I am mildly hopeful," Biden said.

Reach Joey Garrison on X, formerly known as Twitter, @joeygarrison.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Hostage gave birth in Gaza while under Hamas captivity