Jewish nurse breastfed Palestinian baby after his mother suffered head injuries

An injured Palestinian baby was breastfed by a Jewish nurse following a car accident in which his father was killed and mother left in a critical condition.

Ula Ostrowski-Zak nursed the nine-month-old boy from Hebron after he was brought into Hadassah Ein Kerem Hospital in Jerusalem on 2 June , according to Ynet News.

"His aunts were surprised that a Jew agreed to breastfeed him, but I told them that every mother would do it," she said.

The boy and his parents were involved in a head-on collision with an armoured bus on Israel's route 60. His father was killed instantly, while his mother sustained a serious head injury.

The baby only suffered minor injuries but refused to feed from a bottle in the emergency room.

He is reported to have cried for seven hours straight before Ostrowski-Zak came to the rescue.

His aunts asked the nurse if she knew anyone who would breastfeed the boy and were stunned when she volunteered herself.

"They asked me if I could help them find someone who would breastfeed the baby," she said. "As a nursing mother, I didn't hesitate and suggested that I do it myself."

"I fed him five times. His aunts embraced me and thanked me. They were really surprised and told me that no Jewish women would agree to nurse a Palestinian baby they did not know."

Ostrowski-Zak then posted on Facebook to see if anyone would be able to continue breastfeeding the child after her shift ended. She was inundated with offers to help.

"Within two hours I received more than a thousand likes and responses from women who volunteered to help, women who were willing to travel even from Haifa to breastfeed him. In between, I continued to try to expose the child to the bottle but without success," she said.

The baby is expected to be discharged to his grandparents home in Hebron soon. His mother remains in a critical condition.