In their home in war-devastated Gaza City, Iman Farhat and her husband cherish the "paradise" brought by their newly-adopted baby, one of many orphans in the Palestinian territory after more than 15 months of fighting between Israel and Hamas.

Wrapping five-month-old Jannah in a brightly coloured blanket, Farhat gently sang as she rocked her to sleep.

"I chose Jannah just as she was," the new mother said smiling, explaining the couple simply wanted to adopt a young child without preference for gender or physical appearance.

"Her name was Massa, and I officially changed her name from Massa to Jannah," which means "paradise" in Arabic, she added.

Farhat, 45, and her husband Rami al-Arouqi, 47, adopted the well-behaved and chubby baby in January.

"At first, we had mixed feelings of both joy and fear,........

© Al Monitor