Israel imposed “fatal danger” to pregnant women with attacks on Gaza, says NGO

by Andrea
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Israel imposed “serious and occasionally fatal danger” to women and girls in pregnancy and postpartum in Gaza over the 15 months of bombing and siege, according to a new Human Rights Watch (HRW) report, a non-governmental organization that defends human rights.

The 50 -page report, called “Five babies in an incubator ‘: violations of pregnant women’s rights amidst the attack of Israel to Gaza”was published by the group on Tuesday (28).

It details attacks on medical and healthcare facilities in Gaza that “directly harmed women and girls during pregnancy, childbirth and postpartum period” and states that the war increased the risk of miscarriage, premature childbirth, stillbirth, hemorrhage postpartum and newborn below weight.

HRW accused Israel of imposing an illegal blockade, almost total ban on water, food and electricity, hunger as a method of war, attacks on the medical system and repeated forced transfers-violating the right to monitoring and postnatal care for girls and pregnant women and their children.

Israel is “obliged to use all the resources at your disposal to ensure that everyone in, including pregnant girls and women and their children, can enjoy their human right to health,” according to the report. “This includes ensuring the complete restoration of the Gaza Health System so that all patients, including pregnant women and babies, have access to quality medical care.”

HRW has repeated the allegations that Israel is committing genocide against, which Israel is vehemently denied. Israel was also taken to the UNDER UNITED COURT (UN), the International Court of Justice for genocide allegations.

A CNN He contacted the Israeli military and Israel’s Ministry of Defense to comment.

Answering a question about Israeli attacks on medical facilities and health professionals in Gaza, Israel’s defense forces (IDF) repeated the allegations that Hamas uses hospitals for their military operations. Hamas denies using hospitals as coverage. THE CNN You cannot independently verify any of the allegations.

Israel’s attacks since the ambush led by Hamas on October 7 decimated whole families, as well as the medical system and supplies, generating hunger, disease and displacement.

At least 47,306 Palestinians were killed in Gaza, according to the Ministry of Health of the Territory. Of these, 12,316 were women and another 808 were babies under a year, the Gaza Government Office (GMO) said. Although a fragile started last week, the challenges of survival faced by new mothers and pregnant women in the enclave remain terrible.

Babies dying “in front of us”

More than 1,054 health professionals and doctors were killed, including at least six pediatricians and five obstetricians-gynecologists, according to HRW, citing the Ministry of Health in Gaza.

Currently, emergency obstetric and neonatal care are available in seven of 18 partially functional hospitals in Gaza, four of the 11 campaign hospitals and a community health center, according to the NGO.

The spontaneous abortion rate in Gaza increased by 300% since October 7, 2023, said the International Planned Parenthood Federation in July. Two Palestinian women Trlsystsm to HRW that their fetuses died after being injured by explosive weapons attacks that also killed their partners.

Even for those who can reach a medical center, hospitals offer little rest. Women can be “hastily removed” a few hours after delivery because the team is overwhelmed by dozens of bombing patients, according to HRW.

Mass Sufan Mause, 25, connou- CNN That when he traveled to the Al-Emirati Hospital in Rafah, to give birth to her daughter, Maria, on February 27, she was surprised by crowds of desperate Palestinians seeking refuge.

“I didn’t have complete and enough privacy during my delivery. I was very afraid of bleeding, ”said muse. “I faced great difficulty giving birth due to the fear of bombing near the hospital.

“My husband was informed that I had to leave immediately … It was a very difficult time, and the cleaning at the hospital was nonexistent.”

For pregnant women in Gaza, the stress of trying to survive the attacks, along with the scarcity of food and water, can weaken the immune system, damage the fetus and lead to premature birth, HRW told. Dr. Adnan Radi, a doctor at Al Awda Hospital, told the agency that most babies delivered by the team have extremely low weight at birth and are dying of perinatal asphyxiation.

“We tried to clog the babies. Sometimes it helps, but the picture is very dark, ”said Dr. Radi, adding that” last month, I remember more than six babies with low birth weight dying in front of me. “

Meanwhile, the scarcity of antibacterial materials can increase the risk of sepsis, pneumonia and meningitis among newborns, according to Maram Al Shurafa, a humanitarian worker of the NGO Medical Aid for Palestinians (MAP) in Gaza, CNN.

‘I started to beg for God to take the baby’

In scattered displaced fields, parents say they cannot find enough food, clean water, heating or sanitary facilities. Instead, caregivers turn to the diet of children with a children’s formula made of dirty water, increasing the risk of dehydration, hepatitis A and skin infections, according to HRW.

Pregnant and lactating women who share bathrooms in crowded spaces are especially vulnerable to infections, including urinary infections, which can lead to premature birth, low birth weight and stillbirds, according to Al Shufa, a MAP program officer.

“Women may feel uncomfortable breastfeeding under such conditions,” said Al Shurafa. “This lack of privacy can lead to stress and anxiety, which in turn affects the mother’s ability to relax and establish a successful breastfeeding routine.”

More than 48,000 pregnant women are undergoing emergency or catastrophic food insecurity, the UN reproductive rights agency in December said.

At least 56 children starved, according to Zahir Al-Wahidi, Director of Information Systems at the Gaza Ministry of Health. Eight babies and newborns would have died of hypothermia, the UN children’s agency said in January.

Muse, which is displaced in Deir al-Balah, in downtown Gaza, reported to CNN that baby Maria is malnourished.

“The gravity and ferocity of suffering were concentrated in physical displacement,” she said. “I was afraid of being exposed to direct bombing or fragments of missiles, and rain, cold and flooding of tents.”

Israa Mazen Diab Al-Ghul, 30, a pregnant woman dislocated in nose, in downtown Gaza, told HRW that in early 2024 she and her relatives had nothing to drink beyond seawater for two days. “I vomited and worried that it killed the baby … I began to beg for God to take the baby, so that I wouldn’t have to give birth during this war.”

Interruptions in communications prevent women’s access to direct lines and online information, while power cuts interrupt ultrasounds and blood and urine tests, the report reports.

A prenatal patient displaced in Khan Younis, southern Gaza, told the CNN who passed out when he arrived at Al-Awda Hospital, because he was very exhausted by traveling on foot and lack of nutrition. She had no money for vitamins to relieve her symptoms.

“Everything is scarce,” lamented Rahaf Umm Khaled, 21, who is four months pregnant. “I want the war to end completely. I want to give birth my child with good health and I want us to go back to our homes with safety and health. ”

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