*Names have been changed to protect identity.
Gaza Nadia*, 28, a resident of Patti, told the UN agency, “My pregnancy was very difficult during the war. I was very scared for my child’s safety.”
Nadia, a resident of northern Gaza, is currently living in the southern city of Khan Younis due to displacement. As the war intensifies in January 2024, Nadia, a mother of four, learns she is pregnant again.
“I was afraid that something might happen to him because of the stress and the constant moving from one place to another.”
Nadia’s husband Rami*, also from Gaza, was working as a laborer in Israel before the war. But the Israeli military detained him for 18 days in November 2023 along with other workers in Gaza. This incident rocked Nadia’s world.
Frequent displacement made it difficult for them to access essential health services. Although she tried to go for regular checkups at clinics run by the United Nations Relief and Works Agency, UNRWA, the journey was often fraught with great danger.
In addition, transportation costs have increased tenfold since the start of the war due to skyrocketing prices in Gaza, which Nadia could not afford.
Emergencies in crisis
This situation of war and instability took a deep toll on Nadia and she went into labor before a month. “I think it was due to fear and exhaustion, because we had to walk to find a safe place,” he said.
“During my delivery it took me about an hour and a half to get from my tent to the hospital because I had no money.”
Nadia gave birth in August at the UNFPA-supported Nasser Hospital in Khan Younis. But soon their newborn baby started having breathing problems and had to be put in an incubator. The situation was getting worse due to power shortage and frequent cuts.
‘Support and Way of Life’
Nadia’s plight highlights the immense problems facing mothers and pregnant women in Gaza. At the same time, it highlights health services burdened by demand and lack of resources.
War, displacement, starvation, and limited access to health services have increased the incidence of premature births and abortions.
UNFPA is providing critical relief assistance to vulnerable women in Gaza and the West Bank. This also includes cash assistance so that they can meet their basic needs and access essential services, especially health services.
This is especially important for the more than 4,000 pregnant women who are due to give birth in the next few months. It is also important for victims of gender-based violence who do not have support options.
Before receiving cash assistance, Nadia had to travel an hour and a half to the hospital to meet her son. When he could spare a little money, he would save on taxi or donkey fare.
Today the fare was about $10, compared to just $1 before the war. It was almost impossible to sleep in the hospital because it was already full of patients and people for security.
“With UNFPA vouchers, I can now pay for taxi fares, diapers and other essentials,” she said.
‘ray of hope’
More than half of Gaza’s hospitals have been closed. When access is achieved and resources are available, UNFPA provides medical supplies, dignity and hygiene kits, medicines and equipment to 12 operational hospitals.
Since January 2024, UNFPA’s cash assistance program has provided assistance to more than 12,000 women in the Israeli-occupied Palestinian Territory, with priority given to victims of gender-based violence and pregnant and lactating women.
In partnership with the World Food Program (WFP), funds are being distributed through traditional methods and mobile payment methods.
Nadia said, “I was desperate and this help proved to be a life saver for me. Now I can see my son, hug him and spend time with him. I hope when this painful situation ends, I can go out. Can. Treat Gaza and my son properly.