In the 9 months that the violence has raged on in Gaza, women have continued to conceive, miscarry, and birth their babies. Instead of spending 9 months preparing safely and hopefully, women have spent their entire pregnancy fighting for their families’ lives. They have survived with almost no access to healthcare and the fear of death ever present. It's been 9 months of hell.
Yasmeen’s joy at conceiving after nine years of IVF was short-lived, when war broke out just one and a half months after she became pregnant. The terror of giving birth to a baby in a warzone is unimaginable – for Yasmeen, multiplied even further when she found out she was expecting triplets. Here, Yasmeen tells us about the fear she experienced during her pregnancy and the challenges she faces each day, looking after three babies in impossible circumstances.
“Before the war, my life was beautiful and full of happiness and joy. My husband and I were living a good life, and we lived in safety and security.
"My biggest dream was to be blessed with children. Six months after getting married we started our IVF journey. It took 9 years for me to conceive. When I found out I was pregnant, my husband was really happy and excited. We weren’t expecting this pregnancy because we had two rounds of IVF before this one that didn’t succeed. The success rate was very low.
Pregnancy in a warzone
Image: A pregnant woman stands outside Al-Awda Hospital, one of the few partly- functioning hospitals in Gaza. CARE/Team Yousef Ruzzi
But my pregnancy, unluckily, occurred during the war. I was one and a half months pregnant when the war started.
I was so afraid to give birth while the war was still going on. I was really afraid of not being able to find a hospital to give birth in.
I needed medication throughout my pregnancy. I had to take anticoagulant injections because I was having triplets. I also needed vitamins and dietary supplements, I needed about 6-7 medications each month. My husband went through a lot of difficulties to get me the medication, especially in light of the difficult financial situation we are going through. My husband’s salary is not enough to support three children. He used to get disability pay, but there is no liquidity in the banks for him to receive his monthly stipend.
Moving south to give birth
They were not able to accommodate me at the hospital where I was due to give birth in Gaza City. I needed a C-section, and they did not have anaesthetic for the surgery. They told me I should go to the south. My husband and I left Gaza City on our own through the checkpoint. I was using a wheelchair because my pregnancy was difficult and dangerous, and there was a high risk of miscarrying. We said it’s ok, the war will last one to two months, we’ll have our children safely and then go back once the war is over. But this war has entered the ninth month and it’s still not over.
We moved several times. First we went from Gaza City to Nuseirat. Then there was heavy bombardment of Nuseirat, so we were then displaced once again to Rafah. After Rafah was also heavily bombed, I went back to Nuseirat, where I gave birth to my three children. The babies came two months early, and one of them was born with a pulmonary haemorrhage. They needed an incubator, but none were available. But thank God, the babies arrived safely.
Life in a tent with triplets
Image: Yasmeen with her triplets in her tent. CARE/Team Yousef Ruzzi
The war has now entered its ninth month, my babies are almost three months old and still the war is not over. We are now staying in a tent near to a hospital. I wanted to stay close to a hospital because my children need medical care since they were born premature. My children are ok right now, but I had to take them to the hospital twice because of this pollution surrounding us, and the squalid living conditions in the tents. No matter how hard you try to keep things clean, they are bound to catch something from all this pollution.
We have faced many challenges since the babies were born. It is the suffering of living in a tent. This sand, it is impossible to keep your tent clean or prevent the sand and dust from coming in. We suffer from those insects, the mosquitos, the flies, and worms. We suffer from the lack of water and food. You can see how high the prices of food are in the market now.
It is very difficult to get formula milk for the babies. My husband tries to register with any organisation to get milk as a form of assistance. Sometimes we get a tin or two from here or there. My husband sometimes buys it from the market.
We managed to get two cribs for the babies to sleep in with great difficulty. Two of the babies are sharing a crib, so if one of them wakes up, the second one will also be woken. Each one needs their own crib. They do not have mattresses to sleep on. I put blankets and a towel under them to make it soft for them to sleep on.
We just want the war to end
Image: Yasmeen and her husband Baher with their triplets. CARE/Team Yousef Ruzzi
My message to the world is to intervene to end this war. We are tired and fed up, we are unable to withstand more than we already have anymore. Our patience has run out, we can’t do this anymore.
Show some mercy on these babies, they can’t live in this place. This place is full of pollution, it is not comfortable or clean.
I wish the war would be over so I can return to Gaza [city], and that our life goes back to what it was, back to being normal, so we can live what’s left of our lives in happiness. This is what I wish for.”