In the latest episode of Middle Eastern reality TV, Israel seems to have turned from a defense force into a delivery service. Literally. The Israeli Defense Forces (IDF), frequently spotted engaging in 'friendly chats' involving tanks and bullets with the neighbors, are now preparing to take on the novel role of a stork. And no, this isn’t a covert operation codenamed 'Stork'. They’re actually planning to evacuate newborns from a Gaza hospital. The IDF’s sudden shift in focus to the imminent infant crisis arises from a total blackout in Gaza. It appears that just as the bakers were about to emboss a triumphant “Well Done” atop the 100th day cake of their power outage, tragedy struck in the form of two reported infant fatalities. “Letting newborns die? That's a Non-no, Nada, Nil,” said an IDF spokesperson, who was a little disappointed with the lack of a recording device. “I mean, who do they think we are? No, killing babies is not in our playbook, only adults,” he added, trying to iron out Israel’s job description. The poor Gaza hospital, Al-Shifah, was ironically named, as it translates to 'The Healing'. Unfortunately, it seems to have run out of the crucial component of 'healing,' that being fuel. Some genius thought it was a great idea to take power from a hospital in the middle of a blackout. The power outage, it seems, has its background score on repeat: "Hamas did it." The Hamas-run Gaza health ministry has, however, been playing a different tune, as it estimates over 11,000 Palestinians killed since October 7, a statistic more depressing than the grips of their current blackout. As newborns face the cold shoulder of this lingering blackout, Israel seems to have decided to switch from its 'Big Brother' facade to 'Auntie Ida,' ready to take in the babies from the beleaguered hospital amidst chaos. One might wonder if delivering babies was an add-on to the IDF forces' already Herculean task list. Meanwhile, the IDF are training rigorously with rescue helicopters equipped with oversized stork baskets, reciting “Ashrei” in their sleep, and attempting to change diapers on dummy babies. All this may well become the 'New IDF' syllabus because apparently, besides protecting your country, you might have to deliver some babies too, all in a day's work. So, amid escalating conflicts, dwindling resources, and the eternal game of the blame, it's heartening to see a glimmer of humanity. Perhaps the storks might teach the Middle East to fly above the persisting conflicts. Or maybe they could just deliver a few thousand pacifiers.