A Leipzig hospital found itself at the centre of a political storm after listing a newborn’s namew Yahya Sinwar, on its social media page. What was meant as a simple gesture to welcome new life turned into a battleground of outrage, with pro-Israel voices in Germany accusing the hospital of “glorifying terror.”

The backlash, fuelled by the child sharing a name with a senior Palestinian figure, forced the hospital to remove the post and issue an apology. It insisted the naming was coincidental and that parents choose names freely, without interference from medical staff. Still, in today’s volatile climate, even the name of a baby is no longer innocent.

Beyond the controversy, the incident highlights how Arabic names like “Yahya”, rich in spiritual and cultural meaning, are becoming more common in Europe and the US. But as Palestinians face vilification across Western media and political spaces, such moments reflect deeper tensions over identity, bias, and the limits of tolerance.

In Gaza, children are being buried with no names at all. In Germany, a newborn’s name becomes cause for scandal. The world’s moral compass seems hopelessly skewed.