That day was November 2023, about a month after the war in Gaza began. Ala’a is one of approximately 155,000 pregnant women and new mothers in Gaza. Over the past year, they have been forced to give birth in tents and fires, fleeing bombs, often without assistance, medication or even clean water.
“The sound of rockets and bombs was louder than happiness, but I was determined to overcome all difficulties with my little baby.” She wrote a letter thanking the tireless medical staff who helped her deliver her baby at the field hospital. From Khan Younis.
“We will survive no matter what.”
UNFPA
A letter from a mother in the Gaza Strip.
a catastrophic situation
The situation for pregnant women in Gaza is catastrophic. They are exhausted, hungry and weak, and with health services almost completely destroyed and no functioning hospitals, they have few places to seek care and treatment.
After hundreds of attacks on health facilities, only 17 of 36 hospitals are partially functioning.
Fuel and supplies are dangerously low, health workers have died or been forced to flee, and those who remain are in dire straits. During this time, the entire population of Gaza is experiencing a surge in injuries, illnesses and illnesses, including the first cases. Polio has been around for over 25 years.
migration risk
More than half a million women in Gaza have lost access to essential services such as prenatal and postnatal care, family planning, and infection treatment. Among them, more than 17,000 pregnant women are facing famine.
“After seven months, I was forced to leave my home and live in a tent,” Ala’a continued in the letter. “I cried a lot thinking that my brave baby would never see the walls of the room I had always dreamed of.”
But her suffering did not end there, and she was soon evacuated again.
Ala’a wrote: “It was a cry from the depths of my heart to have a child at home,” she wrote. “After 50 days, I was running from gunfire, running, screaming and crying from bombs. “At that moment, I was afraid that I might lose my child.”
There are currently around 1.9 million refugees in Gaza, many of whom have already been forcibly relocated multiple times over the past year. Since the start of the war, miscarriages, obstetric complications, low birth weight and premature births have been reported to have increased at an alarming rate, largely due to stress, malnutrition and lack of maternal care.
Recalling his time escaping the bombings, Ala’a wrote: “We started from nothing and here we are. There is no shelter, no home, no destiny. “We pitched our tents again and promised each other again that we would survive no matter what.”
glimmering
“After two weeks I felt some pain. It was labor pains! (I think) ‘No. It’s still too early. ‘I want to give birth at home,’ she said.
After four days of labor, Ala’a visited the UK-Med field hospital in Khan Younis. UK-Med is a humanitarian non-governmental organization (NGO) with a specialist obstetrics and gynecology department supported by the UK and UN agencies for sexual and reproductive health. Health, UNFPA.
“I came in for a check-up and everything was great,” she continued. “The midwives and nurses were friendly and warm. I spoke to Dr. Helen and she encouraged me to come there and give birth.”
When the time came, they made sure Ala’a delivered the baby safely.
“I went to the hospital right at 2am and the midwives were all ready. But they said there was no natural way to give birth and that it was too dangerous.”
UNFPA provides reproductive health kits and supplies to hospital obstetrics and gynecology departments and ensures staff can provide comprehensive care, including obstetric emergencies.
Ala’a and newborn Mohammad recovered well despite the ongoing war and lack of clean water, food and security.
“Coming here to give birth was the best decision,” she wrote. “I like how you always smile even under pressure. They are a great team.”
medical care on fire
The impact of the war in Gaza on women and girls is enormous. More than half a million women have lost access to essential services such as prenatal and postnatal care, family planning, and infection treatment. More than 17,000 pregnant women are at risk of starvation.
UNFPA and its partners are committed to providing reproductive health support, distributing life-saving medicines, medical equipment and supplies, and deploying teams of midwives and health workers in both formal and temporary camps.
Six mobile maternity units have also been set up at the field hospital to provide emergency obstetric care to mothers and newborns wherever they are. But it is impossible to provide sustained support without a ceasefire, full access to health services, and ongoing funding.
Despite all the hardships she has endured, Ala’a does not lose heart.
She expressed her gratitude to the hospital staff, saying, “Thank you for everything for my son Mohammad.”
“We are grateful to you. “I hope we meet again at a better time,” he said.
