In the besieged Gaza Strip, mothers have been left without adequate maternity care, facing dire consequences for themselves and their newborns. Amidst the backdrop of relentless shelling and violence, women like Wafa are forced to give birth in harrowing conditions, often without access to pain relief or proper medical facilities.
A recent Unicef report has revealed a staggering 75% increase in infant mortality, as “thousands of mothers who’ve been left starving [by the war inside Gaza] are now giving birth to underweight or premature babies who die in intensive care units or struggle to survive acute malnutrition.” The situation has only been exacerbated by Israel’s recent ban on 37 international aid organisations, including Oxfam, Save the Children and Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) – the latter of which delivers one in three of Gaza’s babies.
Wafa’s story is a heartbreaking testament to the realities facing mothers in Gaza. Her water broke while she slept in a flooded tent, with no means to call an ambulance. She was carried in the rain on a mattress by family and neighbours before being transferred to a medical point, where she gave birth without painkillers and underwent a cleaning procedure without anaesthesia, all while “to the sound of shelling.” Two weeks later, the area was struck by missiles that killed several of her family members, including her mother and niece. The trauma and lack of food caused Wafa’s breastmilk to dry up, forcing her to rely on formula that her newborn was later found to be allergic to.
Tragically, Wafa’s experience is not an isolated incident. Thousands of women and children in Gaza are subject to the same fate, as healthcare support remains dire despite a recent ceasefire. More than 400 people have died in the aftermath of the peace deal, including an 11-year-old girl killed in her home just last Thursday.
In response, over 100 leading figures from the arts, including Dame Judi Dench, Imelda Staunton, Joanna Lumley, Sienna Miller, Suranne Jones and singer Paloma Faith, have signed a letter urging the UK government to take immediate action. The letter calls for the entry of mobile maternity clinics waiting in Egypt, full access for independent NGOs to deliver aid, and the provision of sanitary pads – basic necessities that have become scarce.
As the world celebrates the holiday season, the heartbreak of Gaza’s mothers and children serves as a stark reminder of the ongoing humanitarian crisis unfolding in the region. With lives hanging in the balance, the international community must heed the call for urgent action to ensure that mothers in Gaza can safely welcome their children into the world.
