Plight Of Pregnant Women In Gaza; They Face Deliveries On Their Own

Pregnant women in the Gaza Strip have been suffering because of the Israel-Hamas war. Around 50,000 pregnant women are trapped in the Gaza Strip, with 5,500 women expected to give birth in the next month. They are surviving with minimal nutrition and no medical care. Sometimes, pregnant women face deliveries on their own.

According to the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), 50,000 pregnant women are bearing the consequences of the conflict. Allen of the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) said, “Imagine going through that process in your last trimester before giving birth, with possible complications, without clothing, without hygiene, support, and not sure about what the next day, next hour, next minute will bring for themselves and for their unborn child.”

Plight of pregnant women in the Gaza Strip

The healthcare system in the Gaza Strip has collapsed because of the ongoing war between Hamas fighters and Israeli forces. Israeli airstrikes on the Gaza Strip have increased the sufferings of women and children in the Gaza Strip.

Dominic Allen, the UNFPA representative for the Palestinian Territories, said that women remain held up in the humanitarian aid convoys to get help. 

Pregnant women need urgent medical aid to deliver their babies. Hamas-run healthcare systems lack medical equipment because of the war. The Israel-Hamas conflict has caused a humanitarian catastrophe in the region.

Demand of pregnant women in Gaza

A pregnant woman need a bar of soap, a plastic sheet measuring about 40 inches by 40 inches, a pair of scissor to cut the umbilical cord, three pieces of umbilical tape, cotton pads for cleaning and covering the mother and child, a pair of latex exam gloves and an instruction pamphlet to guide women through their delivery process. 

Dominic Allen said that the medical kits would prevent infection during delivery. In the absence of a healthcare facility in the Gaza Strip, every pregnant woman needs urgent medical care. 

Some pregnant women were staying in overcrowded conditions with limited water and sanitation facilities. Some women also lost their babies due to the explosion and shock. 

Gaza residents have faced Israeli airstrikes in recent days. 

Women are also at risk as Hamas are using rape as a weapon of war. Benjamin Netanyahu, the prime minister of Israel, said that the Hamas militants raped various Israeli women and girls. Women in Gaza and Israel are suffering because of the Hamas-Israel conflict.