Widow of soldier killed in Gaza war gives birth to boy

The widow of a commanding officer in the Golani Brigade, who was killed during Operation Protective Edge, gave birth to a baby boy Wednesday night, the first night of the Jewish festival of Sukkot.

Sivan Baror was eight months pregnant when her husband, Major Tzafrir Baror, 32, was killed in a firefight in Gaza on July 20, two weeks after Israel’s military operation in the Gaza Strip to stop rocket fire and destroy Hamas’s tunnel infrastructure began. Tzafrir had previously served in conflicts in Lebanon, Gaza, and the West Bank.

Baror’s widow delivered the baby, weighing in at 3.2 kg (around 7 pounds), at Ichilov Hospital in Tel Aviv surrounded by pictures of her late husband and of the two together.

“It’s clear to me that [Tzafrir] was here and saw the birth,” she was quoted by Channel 10 as saying. “In the more difficult moments, I felt the need to look into his eyes, his smile,” she said, referring to the three blown-up pictures in the delivery room.

Once the baby was born, Baror placed the pictures around his bassinet.

“The baby can’t see yet but when he does, the first thing I want him to see is his father — smiling,” she said.

She added that when the baby first cried, she put a picture in front of him. “He opened his eyes and quieted,” she told Channel 10.

In an interview to Yedioth Aharonoth, Baror spoke of her concerns of going through the delivery without her husband, whom she says was a a huge help when their daughter, Lean, was born sixteen months ago.

When the time came, Baror was surrounded by family, including Tzafrir’s parents.

The baby will be named at the bris (circumcision) as is Jewish custom, usually eight days after the birth if there are no health concerns.

“Tzafrir and I had two names in mind. In the coming days, I’ll look at my son, study his features and decide which name suits him best,” she said.

“I’ll do everything in my power to raise him and Lean as happy children,” she said.