Sundus al-Kurd. A mother from Gaza. Was reunited with her daughter Bisan on Monday after nearly two years apart. Bisan was among at least eight children who were evacuated from Gaza as premature babies in the early weeks of the war and have now returned from Egypt, according to the BBC.

Evacuation from Shifa Hospital

The toddlers were among more than 30 severely ill newborns in incubators who were evacuated from Gaza’s Shifa Hospital in November 2023 during heavy fighting. The hospital complex had earlier been occupied by Israeli forces, who stated it was being used by Hamas.

Sundus al-Kurd was waiting at Nasser Hospital in Khan Younis, clutching a pink-embroidered dress for her daughter. She described to the BBC how she had tried to take her newborn baby out of Shifa Hospital after Israeli forces occupied it, but was told that Bisan could not be moved from her incubator.

It was almost a year before Sundus learned what had happened to her daughter. She said she lived between despair and hope that her daughter might still be alive. Months later. She heard in the news that premature infants had died in Shifa; she would look at the photos, trying to feel, as a mother, whether this could be her child or not.

A Dream Come True

After nearly a year. Sundus was told that her daughter was reported alive and well in an Egyptian field hospital, identified by the pink bracelet she had been given immediately after birth. Sundus had already lost another child. Her parents, and her brother by the time Bisan was born. She said that the news her daughter was alive was ‘like a dream.’

According to the BBC. The return of these toddlers is a small triumph in the limited stream of benefits brought by the Gaza ceasefire imposed by US President Donald Trump. But six months on from that ceasefire agreement, Gaza’s future is uncertain, stuck in a fractured limbo between war and peace.

The territory is still divided, with Israeli forces in temporary control of roughly half of Gaza, and Hamas reportedly deepening its grip—politically and practically—in the remaining area, where the vast majority of Gaza’s population still lives amid landscapes of rubble.

Uncertain Future for Gaza

Reconstruction and the withdrawal of Israeli forces are linked in the Trump plan to Hamas’s disarmament, and there are few signs of progress on this critical stage of the deal. Nickolay Mladenov, appointed as high representative to liaise with Gaza’s administration under the Trump plan, said at the UN last week that the choice was for ‘renewed war or a new beginning’ in Gaza.

A Palestinian official close to Hamas told the BBC that he expected the group to reject the disarmament proposals it had received. With Israel now fighting new wars in Lebanon and Iran, attention has drained away from Gaza, but the lessons it holds are more relevant than ever—about the challenges that follow Israel’s conflicts, and the difficulties it has had in using military might into sustainable peace.

Sundus al-Kurd’s reunion with Bisan is a rare moment of hope in a region that has seen years of conflict and suffering. The return of these children, who were evacuated from Shifa Hospital, highlights the human cost of war and the resilience of families in the face of unimaginable hardship.

According to the BBC, the evacuation of the newborns from Shifa Hospital occurred in November 2023, during a period of intense fighting. More than 30 severely ill newborns were moved to safety, and now, after nearly two years, some of them have returned to their families.

Sundus al-Kurd described the emotional journey of waiting for her daughter’s return. She said that she was ‘torn between fear and joy’ as she worried that she would not be accepted as a parent after more than two years apart. Her story is one of many in Gaza, where families have been separated by war and conflict for years.

The return of these children is a small but significant step forward in the ongoing efforts to rebuild and restore normalcy in Gaza. However, the path to peace remains uncertain, and the challenges ahead are formidable.

The Gaza ceasefire imposed by Donald Trump in 2024 has brought some relief, but the future of the region remains unclear. The Trump plan links the withdrawal of Israeli forces to Hamas’s disarmament, and there are few signs of progress on this critical stage of the deal.

According to the BBC, the return of these children is a reminder of the human cost of war and the resilience of families in the face of unimaginable hardship. It is also a testament to the efforts of humanitarian organizations and international actors working to bring about peace and stability in the region.