Dina Mahmoud (Gaza, London)
In the midst of the suffering suffered by more than two million Palestinians in the Gaza Strip, since the outbreak of war on October 7, many ignore the plight faced by nearly 50,000 pregnant women, who live in the outskirts of the Strip, and suffer from scarcity of food and water and lack of stable housing, in addition to other consequences. For battles.
Although United Nations relief agencies have sent medicines and medical equipment to Gaza over the past months, the quantities of these supplies are still insufficient to meet the needs of the people of the Strip, especially children and pregnant women, for whom it has become difficult to obtain the necessary care, in The pre- and post-natal periods, and also receive neonatal care services.
In light of the severe shortage of drugs used to relieve pain, antibiotics, and medications for diabetes and blood diseases, experts warn of the increasing risks that threaten the lives of Palestinian women about to give birth and their newborns as well, in light of World Health Organization estimates, which indicate that 15% of women who give birth daily Their number is estimated at more than 180 women, who are likely to face complications and not be able to obtain the services they need in such circumstances.
In this regard, the most prominent experts highlighted that some women in Gaza were forced to give birth in overcrowded shelter centers, as well as in cars and even on the side of the road, at a time when the spread of infectious diseases, such as respiratory diseases, hepatitis, and meningitis, is increasing. Also, some hospitals reported that the battles caused direct casualties in maternity wards and those designated for infants, which claimed the lives of some mothers and newborns. UNICEF has warned that pregnant women who suffer from malnutrition face a greater risk of developing preeclampsia, bleeding, and anemia, which may lead to the death of many of them. As for newborns, they may be born with weights lower than the normal average weight of their peers born under normal conditions, which exposes them to delayed growth. During the confrontations that took place in the Gaza Strip in 2014, mothers who were exposed at the time to the traumas resulting from that war gave birth to children who subsequently suffered from problems in motor, cognitive and emotional development.
In addition, experts pointed to studies conducted in areas that witnessed armed conflicts between 1945 and 2017, the results of which revealed that children exposed to war are usually the most vulnerable to suffering from the consequences of deteriorating living conditions, due to the destruction caused by conflicts and conflicts. Infrastructure for public services, whether educational or economic. This means, according to experts who spoke to the American newspaper The New York Times, that the survival of Palestinian mothers and their children from death as a result of the bombings or ground confrontations witnessed in the war does not guarantee them protection from the consequences of this conflict, which may haunt them for the rest of their lives. These pessimistic expectations are reinforced by what UN officials confirm, that the Gaza Strip has now become uninhabitable, which exacerbates the difficulties faced by women and children, who were already facing many complications before the outbreak of the war, including the disproportionate number of doctors and midwives present in the area. sector with the number of pregnant women, in light of the decrease in logistical supplies necessary for the work of hospitals and health centers. The experts stressed that the only opportunity available to the women and children of Gaza to lead their lives normally is the immediate cessation of fighting and the resumption of the provision of health services without delay, stressing that there are permanent effects left by military operations and the resulting collapse of the health care system and scarcity of food supplies. The lack of adequate shelters for mothers and their children, even after the war has ended.
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