The widow of a slain Israeli soldier is celebrating new life in the wake of a devastating death.
Galeitu Baynesian gave birth to a baby girl at Soroka University Medical Center in Beersheba Thursday — only two weeks after her husband, Chief Warrant Officer Kasahun Baynesian, 39, was killed in Gaza.
Kasahun left behind three kids and Galeitu, who was already 9 months pregnant with the couple’s fourth child.
The grieving widow described the bittersweet birth on Israeli television.
“I miss him and I hope that the baby will help me cope,” she told Channel 2.
Kasahun was at the hospital to welcome his third child into the world, but had to miss out on the births of his first two kids because of his military service, his wife said.
Galeitu gave her daughter a name of special significance: Tal-Or, which translates to “dew” and “light” and memorializes how her husband was killed at dawn.
“I hope that our daughter will be our shining light,” she said.
Her husband was killed on July 17, when his brigade’s military jeep was struck by an anti-tank missile fired by Gazan terrorists who used a tunnel to sneak into Israel. Three of his fellow soldiers also perished in the attack.
Since the start of Israel’s Operation Protective Edge on July 8, 63 Israeli soldiers have been killed.