Daijiworld Media Network - Gaza

Gaza, Jul 12: Six months into her pregnancy, 34-year-old Fatima Arfa should be preparing to welcome her baby with joy. Instead, she navigates a harsh and dangerous reality in war-ravaged Gaza, where malnutrition and conflict have robbed her of even the simplest comforts.

“I wish I could buy toys and baby clothes,” says Fatima, her voice tinged with exhaustion. “But instead, I walk long distances for a blood transfusion because I’m severely anaemic. I’m weak, I can barely move.”

Fatima is one of an estimated 55,000 pregnant women in Gaza facing critical health risks, according to the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA). With hospitals struggling to function under bombardment, and a dire lack of medicine, food, and fuel, expectant mothers like her are caught in a relentless struggle to survive.

Dr Fathi al-Dahdouh of Al-Helou Hospital, where Fatima sought help, confirmed her condition was serious. “She has anaemia and needs two units of blood. She can’t live normally in this state,” he said, adding, “We are desperate for green vegetables, fruits, and vitamins — things we once took for granted.”

Fatima, displaced along with her family, now lives in a makeshift tent with her husband Zahi and their five children. Simple foods like milk, eggs, or red meat — essential for maternal health — are impossible luxuries.

Most days, Fatima leaves her hungry children behind in search of medical help, knowing full well the risks. “We haven’t had breakfast today. The children are waiting, and I have nothing to give them,” she says, as her daughter stirs a pot of lentils to feed the entire family.

Zahi, 40, roams Gaza’s destroyed neighbourhoods in a desperate quest for food. “I’ve faced death trying to get even a can of tuna. There’s nothing,” he laments. “How can she carry a life when there’s barely anything to sustain her own?”

According to Gaza authorities, over 57,000 people have been killed in the conflict so far, with most of the population displaced and reliant on limited food aid. The war, sparked by Hamas’s 2023 attack on southern Israel that killed around 1,200 people and saw 251 hostages taken, continues to grind on with no end in sight.

Despite the hardships, Fatima clings to hope — hope that the war will end, crossings will open, and her unborn child will one day know peace and plenty. But for now, each day is a battle — not just for survival, but for dignity and the right to bring new life into a shattered land.