Pregnant women, new mothers suffer from severe hardship in Gaza

This footage was filmed and produced 12 April 2024. Storyline: Due to the ongoing Israeli-Palestinian conflict, pregnant women, new mothers and their babies in Gaza are experiencing severe hardships including limited healthcare, increased risks of miscarriages and premature births, urgently needing interventions to address the acute crisis. In the Al-Hurriya Camp for the displaced people, west of Rafah, Noha Al-Ja'al lives with her family. She evacuated from her home in Al-Zaytoun in northern Gaza in November 2023. Back then, she was in her third month of pregnancy. Now Al-Ja'al is on the verge of giving birth. Although she has gone through childbirth before, she said that she is very afraid this time as the situation here is not prepared for childbirth at all. Nour Al-Huda Hamad became a mother for the third time, but she described it as the most difficult and sad experience amid the conflict. She had hoped to throw a small birthday party for her child, but instead of songs and blowing balloons, now they only hear the sounds of shells and air strikes. During the conflict, the rate of miscarriages among pregnant women increased, and the incidence of premature birth also increased in Gaza. Many infants suffer from emaciation, which requires their admission to hospital nurseries. This crisis greatly affects pregnant women, mothers and their young children, as there are more than 50,000 pregnant women and 68,000 breastfeeding women in Gaza, according to recent United Nations data. They need immediate life-saving preventive, therapeutic and nutritional interventions. In a statement released by the United Nations Security Council on Thursday, the Council members reiterated their deep concern over the human toll of the conflict, the catastrophic humanitarian situation, and the threat of imminent famine in Gaza, calling for the immediate lifting of all barriers to the delivery of humanitarian aid at scale to the civilian population and to the unhindered distribution of such assistance. Shotlist: Gaza Strip - April 12, 2024: 1. Displaced people in Al-Hurriya Camp; 2. Various of pregnant woman Noha Al-Ja'al doing housework, children, clothes; 3. SOUNDBITE (Arabic) Noha Al-Ja'al, displaced people: "I do not imagine that I will be able to give birth next month in Rafah, because the place is difficult, the hospital is far from us, and there is no transportation available to get there. Even if I were able to give birth in Rafah, unfortunately, there is no milk for babies, no formula, and no clothes for newborns available here."; 4. Various of Nour Al-Huda Hamad feeding child; 5. SOUNDBITE (Arabic) Nour Al-Huda Hamad, displaced people: "I gave birth under difficult circumstances. The ambulance was late in arriving and I almost had to give birth in the street. I am facing great difficulty in providing milk. The water here is not clean and contains germs, so it is difficult to prepare the bottle to feed my child, and I am always afraid that he will contract diseases because of this."; 6. Various of infants at hospital; 7. Sign of neonatal intensive care unit; 8. SOUNDBITE (Arabic) Dr. Haider Sunaina, director, Emirates Red Crescent Hospital: "Recently, there has been a significant increase in the number of childbirth cases arriving at our hospital due to displacement. We perform about 2,000 natural births per month and approximately 400 caesarean sections. These numbers are very high compared with the conditions before the war."; 9. Various of camp, displaced people. [RESTRICTIONS: No access Chinese mainland] ( Original Title: Pregnant women, new mothers suffer from severe hardship in Gaza )