“I want my baby to live in a world without wars, fear, or suffering”

For Immediate Release - Tuesday 25th February 
 
“I want my baby to live in a world without wars, fear, or suffering”: North Gaza’s only functioning hospital provides beacon of hope for women 
 
After months of enduring inhumane living conditions and little to no access to medical support, hundreds of pregnant women and new mothers are now receiving the vital healthcare they need at north Gaza’s Al-Awda Hospital, run by ActionAid’s partner Al-Awda. 
 
The facility is the only functioning hospital in northern Gaza after both the Kamal Adwan and Indonesian Hospitals were put out of service by Israeli military attacks. Against the odds, it continued to provide its life-saving services throughout 15 months of war despite being besieged three times, staff members being killed and the building coming under shelling. 
 
With the north of Gaza under intense siege during the last three months of the war, women in need of maternity services were almost entirely cut off from accessing the hospital due to the ferocity of the bombing. But since the ceasefire, with hundreds of thousands of displaced people returning to what is left of their homes in the north, the hospital has received an influx of patients and its maternity services have seen high demand.  

Dr Mohammed Salha, acting director of Al-Awda Hospital, said: “We are receiving every day more than 500 patients and injuries in our emergency department...from 80 to 100 nowadays are coming to our outpatient department for maternity services.” 
 
Among them is Iman, 27, a pregnant woman who is relieved to be safe and receiving care at the hospital where she will soon give birth after spending months sharing a small tent with nine other people without enough food, water or medical support.  
 
Iman said: “I had been praying for the war to end. My biggest fear was to deliver my baby in a tent. It was freezing cold, and no one could have provided blankets for warmth. 
 
“It was the best tent we could get, but it was still a tent. We unfortunately had to evacuate it every time it rained because of flooding. The rain would seep in and make everything worse.” 
 
Repeated attacks by the Israeli military on hospitals and healthcare infrastructure, and its blockade on fuel, medicine and medical supplies entering Gaza during the 15-month war, pushed the health system to the brink of collapse. Women and new mothers were deprived of their right to vital medical care, as well as access to food, water and other essentials. 
 
Iman said: “During the war, pregnant women did not receive the support they needed. I had to go to a private clinic, which was very expensive. The doctor couldn’t always provide us with the necessary medicine. We had to buy it from pharmacies, which cost a lot. We went to different aid organisations hoping for help with food and medicine. 
 
“My health started to decline after my first trimester. It was due to the lack of food and medicine. Living in tents and the entire situation made me sick. It was unbearable—no one could tolerate it... I lacked almost everything. Water was scarce – it was nearly impossible to find.” 
 
When the ceasefire was finally announced, Iman was desperate to return to the north and did so on foot, despite being very heavily pregnant. She said: “I had to walk back since there was no transportation and I didn’t want to stay in a tent, as I was so close to my due date and could give birth at any minute. It was a terrible experience!” 
 
Iman is currently staying in Al-Awda Hospital while she waits to give birth. “Services are provided, and, thankfully, we are doing fine,” she said. “I just hope my baby leads a better life than the one we [have]. I want her to grow up in a happy and safe environment. I want my baby to live in a world without wars, fear, or suffering.” 
 
The bombing may have stopped, but the ceasefire has not brought an end to the challenges faced by pregnant women and new mothers in Gaza.  
 
Maisoon, a midwife at Al-Awda Hospital, said: “The current challenges are the lack of housing, security, protection and stability, and the lack of clothing, food, hygiene and medicine, especially medicine for treating blood pressure and urinary tract infections. 
  
“[Due to] the difficulty of transportation to the hospital most [women] come on foot and this affects their health and the [unborn baby].”  
 
Highlighting the conditions pregnant women faced during the war, she said: “There was an increase in miscarriages due to what pregnant women were exposed to: the panic, fear and psychological impact...There was an increase in the number of newborn deaths as well.  
 
“Women were exposed to the bombing of their homes while they were inside them and [some] women who came out from under the rubble were injured. Because most homes were destroyed [due to] the bombing, they were forced to live in a tent, and it was difficult [without] private bathrooms. Women were forced to stand in line to enter the bathroom. This was a big problem also and [resulted in] the increase of urinary [tract] and vaginal infections. 
 
“Pregnant women were deprived of many things such as vegetables, fruit, meat, dairy products, cheese... and milk...this affected the weight of their newborns and [women’s] health. Most women became anaemic...which exposes them to many problems during childbirth.” 
 
Umm Fulan, who has just given birth at Al-Awda Hospital after travelling to the facility from Al-Nuseirat camp, struggled without enough food and access to medicines while pregnant. She said: ”During my pregnancy, I suffered from malnutrition. Essential supplies were often unavailable. We became very weak – due to a lack of proper nutrition.” 
 
Despite facing soaring demand, Al-Awda Hospital is only able to operate at about 50% of its full capacity after two operation theatres and two inpatient departments were severely damaged in attacks by the Israeli military. Staff are busy carrying out urgent maintenance work and repairs to these areas, as well as the roof which has been completely destroyed by strikes, but the lack of reconstruction materials presents huge challenges.  

Dr Salha said: “We don't have cement and we don't have the material to maintain and to rebuild the hospital again. Also, we don't have wood to fix the doors and some windows. We face a lot of challenges related to the maintenance of the hospital, and it's too expensive if we [find these items].” 
 
After months of being entirely cut off from essential supplies – from medicines and fuel to food and water – the hospital is now receiving aid, but Dr Salha said. “We need this flow of fuel and medication, medical supplies, to be continuous [so as] to not disturb our services. 
 
“We [still] have shortages of some medication and medical supplies and [a] shortage of fuel...Now we only have 1500 litres [of fuel], which will last less than two days, because now we are [running] the hospital every day, 24 hours per day, using big generators. We spend more than 900 [litres of] fuel every day.” 

He said the hospital is still in urgent need of ambulances to transport sick patients, as well as expert medical staff from abroad to help support the exhausted and depleted team: particularly orthopaedic surgeons, vascular surgeons and neurosurgeons. 
 
Even with more support, meeting the health needs of a population that has been starved and deprived of medical attention for months on end will be an enormous task.  
 
Dr Salha said: "We need to increase our capacity of beds to [respond] to these needs from the people who [are] in the north now. More than 300,000 people in the north come back from the south. The life here is very difficult and the northern Gaza Strip needs a response from all the organizations to provide quick aid and to provide health services. Many services are [needed]...People here need food also. They need tents to build the camps. 
 
"The Israeli occupation forces [have been] targeting the health system from the beginning of the aggression, and now you can’t imagine that in all the north of the Gaza Strip, the only 
hospital is Al-Awda Hospital that is providing [services]. Really, the people who live here live in a disaster.” 
 
[ENDS] 
 
Photos, testimonies and video footage are available on request, and spokespeople are available for interview. Please contact the press office at media-enquiries@actionaid.org or on +263776665065 to arrange.