Palestinian citizen Hind describes her daily life, in light of the ongoing war on Gaza, as “a constant struggle with difficult, illogical and unexpected circumstances that threaten her life and the life of her fetus.”
Hind is one of 150,000 pregnant women facing tragic conditions in Gaza in light of the continuing Israeli war on the Strip. Heba, Suhad, and Enas also tell their stories.
Contrary to what she dreamed, Hind has been living through difficult times since she learned that she was pregnant with her first child 7 months ago, in light of the lack of life necessities for a normal human being.
The 26-year-old young woman, whose features appeared pale, her eyes sunken, and her stomach appeared swollen, said, “As soon as I learned that I was pregnant, my feelings were mixed between joy and fear due to the inhumane conditions in which we live, but I decided to fight to protect myself and my fetus from… “Danger.”
Hind: I drink “stale” water and “preserved” food.
She added, “My real daily battle begins with providing food. My husband often has to walk long distances to provide me with healthy food, but due to the lack of money and the lack of the necessary materials, he does not always succeed in this, so he returns without food, which forces me to eat canned food and preserved food, which has harmful effects.” Very healthy for me.”
The same situation applies to drinking water. Hind tries to drink mineral water, which she often has to buy from street vendors, or obtain some from humanitarian aid. However, she fell ill during her pregnancy, and after examining her, it was found that this water was “corrupt” and had expired.
What makes matters worse for Hind is the lack of water necessary for personal hygiene, which forces her to wait for days or even weeks to be able to obtain some water for bathing.
She says, “All these circumstances put me under severe psychological pressure and tension all the time, which negatively affects my personal health and the health of the fetus,” adding, “I often cry bitterly and pray to God that my fetus does not die.”
150 thousand pregnant women in tragic circumstances
Hind is one of 150,000 pregnant women facing tragic conditions in the Gaza Strip in light of the continuing Israeli war on the Strip, according to what the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA) recently announced.
Pregnant women say that they hardly receive the necessary medical care as most medical centers have stopped receiving them, due to them being out of service as a result of being targeted by Israeli warplanes.
Pregnant women complain that they barely get the minimum amount of food (most of which is unhealthy) and water, in addition to means of personal hygiene, explaining that they often suffer from infectious diseases and infection with bacteria and germs in the absence of a healthy environment suitable for their particular situation.
Heba: I am afraid of losing my fetus!
Heba, a pregnant Palestinian woman, says that as soon as she wakes up early in the morning, she touches her stomach and feels the position of her fetus, whether it is moving inside her or not. She adds, “All the time I fear that I will lose my child at any time.”
In fact, Heba also suffers greatly from the lack of water needed for bathing and her personal hygiene, as she is forced to wait between 7 to 10 days for the opportunity to shower when her husband is able to provide the necessary water for that.
Heba added, “Pregnant women are living in tragic conditions. There is no water, food, or even safety to help us survive this war (…) Unfortunately, we fear death even if we are not targeted, as we may die from the lack of the ingredients we need.”
The young Gazan woman continues, “Even if we survive, we fear that we will lose our children in our stomachs (…) Throughout my pregnancy, I did not eat any healthy food. I eat canned food that contains preservatives, and this caused me a lot of infections and severe fatigue.”
More than once, Heba needed to see a doctor, but with great difficulty she was able to go to one of the field clinics in her area. She says, “There are large queues of pregnant women who have to wait for long hours, and this causes great fatigue in addition to the possibility of infection with infectious diseases, which will negatively affect the health of the fetus.”
She added, “Unfortunately, danger surrounds all of us without exception, and no one cares about us.”
Suhad: I fear that I will lose my life or my fetus
As for Suhad, a Palestinian woman who is eight months pregnant, she suffers from vitamin and iron deficiency and malnutrition, due to the lack of healthy food or even the necessary medicine for her.
Suhad (35 years old) says that she contracted bacteria in the blood as a result of an infection she picked up from a public bathroom.
Since then, Suhad has been suffering from a lack of fluid around the fetus, as well as some bleeding, which doctors have barely been able to control without losing her baby until this moment.
In a weak voice, Suhad said, “I fear that I will lose my life or lose my fetus due to the lack of the necessary medical care and even the medications that I may need after birth.”
Because hospitals are overcrowded with injured and sick people, some doctors have resorted to establishing mobile clinics for obstetrics for women in the southern areas of the Gaza Strip, but they are often delivered without using any anesthetic, which doubles their labor pain during childbirth.
Obstetrician and Gynecologist: We are trying to save the lives of women and their children!
Obstetrician and gynecologist Muhammad Sobeih says, “We are living in unusual circumstances, and we cannot do anything except try to save the lives of women and their children.”
However, the doctor added with some regret, “Unfortunately, we were losing a number of fetuses during childbirth, or even mothers, due to the weakness of their bodies and their inability to bear pain, as well as their lack of immunity necessary to protect them from death or miscarriage.”
Enas: I had a miscarriage while waiting for the bathroom!
For Enas, the miscarriage experience was not an easy matter, especially since she saw her fetus fall from her stomach while she was using one of the public bathrooms, which she used to stand in a long line before using it in one of the displaced persons’ tent gatherings in Deir al-Balah in the central Gaza Strip.
Enas (32 years old), a mother of 3 children, says:When I entered the bathroom, I was shocked that what had wet my body was bleeding, and as soon as I took off my pants, a large lump fell from me (…) It was my child that fell from me, and he had perfect features.”
In an intermittent voice, Enas continued speaking, “I screamed and cried, because I had never seen such a scene in my life. I thought I was living a horror movie, and I did not understand anything around me because I lost consciousness, and when I woke up, I was in the hospital.”
What made matters worse for Enas is that she has been infected with the hepatitis C virus since her miscarriage, which makes her suffer from pain all the time, without knowing whether she will survive this disease, or whether she will also lose her life, as is the case with her fetus, especially in light of the spread of infectious diseases. In the Gaza Strip.
