Breastfeeding in Gaza: Mothers seek help to provide for their babies

Deir el-Balah, Gaza Strip – Early in the morning, Eman Huneidq leaves her tent in western Deir el-Balah with her nine-month-old daughter, Ward, and heads to the Mother and Child Corner at Hikr al-Jame’ Health Centre.

She comes twice a week for breastfeeding sessions, seeking advice and support after a difficult journey through pregnancy, childbirth, and motherhood during the war.

Eman, 38, is a mother of three. She has diabetes and a condition that causes her blood to clot.

“I had not had a child for 14 years because of my health condition, so this pregnancy was especially difficult for me,” she says.

Eman did not know she was pregnant until she was five months along. At the time, she was living in northern Gaza before being displaced south to Deir el-Balah, in central Gaza, fleeing the conditions Israel’s genocidal war on the Palestinian enclave has produced.

Poor nutrition and limited access to healthcare made the pregnancy harder. Ward was born before her due date and spent 10 days in hospital.

After giving birth, Eman struggled to breastfeed. She developed painful cracks in her breasts and, for a period, relied on formula milk – which is expensive in Gaza and requires access to clean water.

“Dealing with the cracks made breastfeeding very difficult for me. I struggled to cope with my condition and couldn’t find the right support or suitable medical creams,” she says, as Israeli restrictions on imports into Gaza made the lotions hard to obtain.