INTERVIEW: 5,500 women in Gaza set to give birth ‘in race against death’
The UN Population Fund (UNFPA) and sister organizations are still calling for a humanitarian truce and more convoys to provide food, gasoline, water, and other critical supplies into the enclave as the fighting between Israel and Hamas terrorists moves into its second month.
The sexual and reproductive health organization's Regional Director for the Arab States, Laila Baker, expressed her concern for the future of newlywed moms and their offspring in Gaza due to the "loss of complete humanity."
Support For The Expecting Mothers
"When we can reach them," she said, pregnant women have been given safe delivery kits and emergency medical attention by UNFPA staff. She told UN News that while pregnant Palestinian women fleeing bombardment try to find skilled medical personnel who can support them with a safe delivery, they are filled with hope and delight along with a great deal of anxiety.
“Put yourself in the shoes of that woman when the surgeon says to her ‘I have no anesthesia, I don't even have water or soap to wash my hands, but I'm going to try and save your life,’” she said.
Ms. Baker explained from Cairo why there is an urgent need for a humanitarian truce in Gaza as well as a more robust international reaction.
To improve clarity and duration, the interview has been modified.
Laila Baker: “To be honest, I'm at a loss for words when it comes to the dire circumstances on the ground and the total loss of humanity that we witness in Gaza. There has never been such violence in human history: a month-long siege of 2.2 million people, including 50,000 pregnant women, is a unique and unsurpassed event. The next few weeks will see the birth of 5,500 women.
I fear for the lives of the 160 women, including their children, who I should have said are fortunate to be able to try and bring happiness and life into our world today.
There have been over 135 targets for medical establishments. The remaining health facilities that stay standing have very little medication, no fuel to run electricity. There have been emergency deliveries requiring cesarean sections performed under minimal or no anesthesia, and occasionally under the light of a cell phone.”
UN News In a joint statement, a number of UN agencies reaffirmed their urgent requests for a rapid humanitarian truce so that additional life-saving supplies could reach Gaza. Among the signatories is UNFPA. Could you now elaborate on the significance of that joint call?
Laila Baker: “There's a lot of appeal. We are currently covering up what is essentially a humanitarian crisis with a bandage. There are two reasons why the ceasefire is both required and a necessary condition.
First, we need to be able to freely and unhindered enter Gaza with the goods in order to meet the needs of those who have been forcibly relocated to the south, those who are injured and crowding the hospital facilities, and to bring in enough supplies and personnel to begin addressing some of those urgent humanitarian needs.”
Protecting Life
Second, it's imperative that the sanctity of life in general and the safety of all humanitarian workers be upheld.
The concept of a humanitarian halt does not exist. A pause suggests that you can enter and carry your belongings, but if we commit and start bombarding the Gaza population, we'll keep up the pressure. It can't go on like that. It needs to end right away.
UN News: You mentioned the important point about targeting health facilities and also targeting health workers. How can that complicate the situation which is already complicated on the ground in Gaza?
Laila Baker: “Even from a human standpoint, I believe it to be very obvious. Let me present you with the scenario of a pregnant woman, though. You are hoping to have a child in this world. When it's your first kid, you're filled with optimism and delight as well as a mixture of dread about what might happen during delivery.
When the lady is running from constant bombardment and has no one to aid her, when she is unable to protect herself or her family while searching for a skilled health expert, when she isn't drinking enough water to carry her pregnancy to term and healthily…
Imagine yourself in that woman's position when the surgeon tells her, "I'm going to try to save your life, even though I don't have any anesthesia or water or soap to wash my hands."
What sort of agonizing agony does she, her husband, or the doctor imagine regarding the possible consequences for her and that child? Nobody will be around to assist her, even if she makes it through.
We met with a woman who stated, "It felt like a race against death every step of the way when I was looking for a place to give birth." I'm at a loss for what options she and her family will have. Being a woman who has also experienced the joy of giving birth and adding additional family members to the mix, I can only imagine the anguish of going through those situations and having to make those decisions. If everyone on the planet can unite and say "stop," then everything can be undone.”
UN News UN organizations are working nonstop to deliver supplies that can save lives. Could you elaborate on the services that UNFPA has offered since relief convoys began passing through the Rafah crossing into Gaza?
Laila Baker: “We're always attempting to give it our all. We have given our employees access to safe drinking water. We have offered safe delivery and emergency reproductive health kits. It includes everything from a sterile environment and a bar of soap to a bag containing a clean plastic sheet, a clamp to aid cut the umbilical cord, and some wipes to ensure that at least a minimal degree of hygiene is maintained.
Additionally, we are bringing in supplies to aid hospital facilities that are currently overloaded with basic delivery equipment and a lot of disposable items, such as gauze, saline, and other products; at the moment, these supplies are entirely depleted. One such item is oxytocin.
But we worry a lot that those are merely a drop in the ocean. They are not enough. We also make every effort to safeguard young girls who are in congested areas with, at most, very poor hygiene. One restroom serves a thousand individuals at the center where we work. Could you picture a scenario when a young girl—your sister, your daughter, a loved one, or a close friend—needs privacy in order to feel respected and deserving as a young adult and develop into a well-behaved adult?”
UN News: Can employees of UNFPA travel to northern Gaza? We are aware that humanitarian workers there face numerous difficulties. How difficult is it, nevertheless, to assist 5,500 women who are anticipated to give birth in the upcoming weeks?
Laila Baker: Right now, the equation is not possible. If only I had more positive news. I hope we can take care of them. That would require a significant amount. One thing in particular, I believe needs to be emphasized: neither our obligation nor the responsibility of the public and commercial sectors that support that civilian population can be replaced by any amount of humanitarian help, at least not on the scale that we require.
It's critical to emphasize—which is why we were arguing—that any community's hospitals, schools, and homes are dependent on the security of its civilian infrastructure. What will there be to return to now that half of Gaza's residential buildings have been demolished?
That is such a flagrant violation of human rights, this disregard for civilian infrastructure, including the targeting of hospitals. The protection of civilian infrastructure, the preservation of human dignity, and the idea of enabling the Palestinian people of Gaza to live in safety in their own home should receive the majority of attention.
References
5,500 women in Gaza set to give birth 'in race against death'. (n.d.). Daily Sun. Retrieved November 15, 2023, from https://www.daily-sun.com/printversion/details/720706
Giving birth as bombs fall in Gaza: 'My girl came to the world broken'. (2023, November 14). NBC News. Retrieved November 15, 2023, from https://www.nbcnews.com/health/health-news/israel-hamas-gaza-hospitals-babies-pregnant-mothers-rcna125055
Hinnawi, M. (2023, November 7). INTERVIEW: 5500 women in Gaza set to give birth 'in race against death'. UN News. Retrieved November 15, 2023, from https://news.un.org/en/interview/2023/11/1143327