That day was in November 2023, about a month after the start of the war in Gaza. Ala'a is among the estimated 155,000 pregnant women and new mothers in the Gaza Strip who over the past year have been forced to give birth under fire, in tents, while fleeing bombs and, often, without assistance, medicine or even drinking water.
“The sound of rockets and bombs was louder than my happiness, but I decided that with my little baby we would overcome all difficulties,” she wrote in a letter thanking the tireless health personnel who helped her give birth in a field hospital. . in Khan Yunis.
“We will survive no matter what.”
A letter from a mother in Gaza.
Catastrophic situation
The situation for pregnant women in Gaza is catastrophic: exhausted, weak from hunger, with health services almost completely destroyed and none of the hospitals fully operational, they have few places to turn for care and treatment.
After hundreds of attacks on medical facilities, only 17 of 36 hospitals are partially functioning.
Fuel and supplies are also running dangerously low, health workers are being killed or forced to flee and those who remain are running out at a time when the entire population of Gaza is facing a rise in injuries and illnesses, including the first case of polio in more than 25 years.
Dangers of displacement
More than 500,000 women in Gaza have lost access to vital services such as prenatal and postnatal care, family planning and infection treatment. Among them, more than 17,000 pregnant women are on the brink of famine.
“After seven months, I was forced to leave my house and live in a tent,” Ala'a continues in his letter. “I cried a lot, feeling that my brave baby would never see the walls of his room that I had always dreamed of preparing for him.”
But her anguish did not end there, as she was soon evacuated once again.
“It was a cry from the bottom of my heart. [that I had] give birth outside my house,” Ala'a wrote. “After 50 days I fled under fire, running, screaming and crying because of the bombs. At that moment I feared I would lose my baby.”
Around 1.9 million people are currently displaced in Gaza, many of whom have already been forced to move several times over the past year. Since the start of the war, miscarriages, obstetric complications, low birth weight, and premature births have increased at an alarming rate, primarily due to stress, malnutrition, and an almost complete lack of maternity care.
Recalling the moment he escaped the bombings, Ala'a wrote: “We are here, starting from nothing: no shelter, no home, not even a destination. We built a tent again and promised ourselves again that we must survive, no matter what.”
a ray of light
“Two weeks later I felt some pains… They were labor pains! [I thought] 'No. It's too early, I want to give birth at home.'”
After four days of labour, Ala'a visited a field hospital in Khan Younis run by UK-Med, a humanitarian non-governmental organization (NGO) with a specialist maternity unit supported by the UK and the agency. of the United Nations for sexual and reproductive health. health, UNFPA.
“I came to get a checkup and everything was great,” he continued. “The midwife and nurses were kind and warm. “I spoke to Dr. Helen and she encouraged me to come and give birth there.”
When the time came, they made sure Ala'a delivered her baby safely.
“I went straight to the hospital at 2am and all the midwives were ready. But they told me that there was no way for a natural birth, that it was too dangerous.”
UNFPA provides the hospital's maternity unit with reproductive health kits and supplies and ensures that staff can provide comprehensive care, even in the event of obstetric emergencies.
Ala'a and her newborn Mohammad have recovered well, despite the ongoing war and lack of clean water, food or security.
“It was the best decision to come here to give birth,” she wrote. “I like that they smile all the time even if they are under pressure. “They are a great team.”
More than 500,000 women in Gaza have lost access to vital health services.
Healthcare under fire
The impact of the war in Gaza on women and girls is staggering: more than 500,000 women have lost access to vital services such as prenatal and postnatal care, family planning and infection treatment; More than 17,000 pregnant women are in serious stages of hunger.
UNFPA and its partners are dedicated to supporting reproductive health, distributing life-saving medicines, equipment and medical supplies, and deploying teams of midwives and health workers in official and makeshift camps.
Six mobile maternal health units have also been established in field hospitals to provide emergency obstetric care to mothers and their newborns wherever they are. But it is impossible to provide continued support without a ceasefire, full access to health services and sustained funding.
Despite all the hardships he has endured, Ala'a refuses to give up.
“On behalf of Mohammad, my son, thank you for everything,” he wrote, expressing his gratitude to the hospital staff.
“We are grateful for you. I hope we meet again in better times.”
