There seems to be no end to the suffering in Gaza. In these long weeks full of conflict, drama after drama unfolds. Besides the victims (the number has already exceeded ten thousand and the death toll is constantly increasing) there are also thousands of pregnant women who no longer have a hospital to give birth. They face the danger of giving birth to their children in shelters or even on the streets.
According to data from the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), the Palestine Refugee Agency (UNRWA), the United Nations Sexual and Reproductive Health Agency (UNFPA) and the World Health Organization (WHO), it is estimated that there are “50,000” children. There are pregnant women in Gaza, and more than 180 of them give birth every day. “Of these, 15 percent are at risk of pregnancy or birth-related complications and need additional medical care.”
Hospitals in Gaza have been collapsing for weeks. It becomes almost impossible to provide necessary care to the injured and hospitalized people. This means only one thing: There is no help for pregnant women.
According to UN agencies, “With the closure of 14 hospitals and 45 primary health care centers, some women are forced to give birth in shelters, in their homes, on the streets, among piles of rubble, or in overcrowded health facilities where hygienic-sanitary conditions are not provided.” conditions worsen, the risk of infection and medical complications increases. Healthcare facilities are also under fire: On November 1, Al Hilo Hospital, a major maternity hospital, was bombed.”
5,500 people are expected to give birth next month. Palestinian midwife Haneen Ashour said: New Arab: “The situation is catastrophic, dozens of women are giving birth weeks earlier than expected, many are suffering miscarriages.” Many emergency birth kits are still stuck in humanitarian aid convoys in Egypt awaiting permission to enter Gaza: they are seen by doctors as a last resort to prevent infections during birth when there is no safe or reliable access to a healthcare facility.
“The lives of newborns also hang by a thread. If hospitals run out of fuel, the lives of approximately 130 premature babies who depend on neonatal and intensive care services will be in danger, as incubators and other medical equipment will no longer work.”
The Indonesian hospital in Gaza, for example, may stop operating in the next few hours due to a lack of fuel to power electricity, hospital director Atef Kahlout reported.
Director of the Indonesian hospital in Gaza, Dr. Atef Al Kahlout expressed his regret at the deterioration of conditions at the medical facility.#Gaza_Genocide pic.twitter.com/1kSLDw8vAU
— PALESTINE ONLINE 🇵🇸 (@OnlinePalEng) November 7, 2023
According to the data of the Ministry of Health, as of November 3, 2 thousand 326 women and 3 thousand 760 children were killed in the Gaza Strip, which corresponds to 67 percent of all victims, and thousands were injured. This means that 420 children are killed or injured every day; Some of them are only a few months old. These figures may increase further as women give birth without assistance. Women who do not receive adequate care face the risk of serious complications. Newborns are often very fragile and need care, but this is currently being effectively denied. Then there are spontaneous miscarriages caused by mothers’ malnutrition and excessive stress.
Noor Hammad is among the many pregnant women living in uncertainty. She was 24 years old, worked as a nutritionist in a clinic before the war, had just gotten married and was expecting her first child.
The story, as reported RepublicThat changed suddenly on October 7th. Now he is among those displaced. He fled to the South with his big belly, but there was no room for him in the already collapsing structures. In the house where 25 people already lived together, an old friend of one of his sisters hosted him. Now she is lying on the floor and the joy of waiting turns into anxiety: “Where will I give birth? Who will help me? Will I be able to keep her alive?”
UN agencies are calling for “an urgent humanitarian pause to relieve suffering and prevent a dire situation from turning into a disaster.” US Secretary of State Blinken is also pushing for a humanitarian pause in Gaza. No objections have been heard so far.
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Source: Today IT
Karen Clayton is a seasoned journalist and author at The Nation Update, with a focus on world news and current events. She has a background in international relations, which gives her a deep understanding of the political, economic and social factors that shape the global landscape. She writes about a wide range of topics, including conflicts, political upheavals, and economic trends, as well as humanitarian crisis and human rights issues.
