'It was agony' The women giving birth in Gaza without medical care

When Hanan went into labour earlier this month, she was caught between the fear of facing childbirth without medical help and the terror of Israeli airstrikes and snipers if she tried to reach hospital.

- Aseel Mousa

With hospitals emptying of supplies, raided by the Israeli military and already filled far beyond capacity with victims of the war, she decided to deliver her youngest son at home.

A nurse who had taken shelter in their apartment building came to help but could offer no more than basic medical advice. Hanan's other children listened in horror to the reality of birth without medical support or pain relief.

"The pain was excruciating, and I was desperate to get to a hospital. But the situation outside made it impossible; going to the hospital meant risking our lives," Hanan said a few days after the birth.

There is almost no electricity in the Gaza Strip, with power supplies cut, power plants damaged and fuel supplies for generators almost exhausted after months of Israeli attacks and a tight blockade.

The women living in Hanan's apartment building rallied together so that Haya, the nurse, could monitor her patient through the night, using their phone batteries to light up the room.