On the 10th day of the war, Safa Abed learned she was pregnant, and cried. When she told her husband, he said this was no time to have a child, but they would manage, somehow. They had fled their home in Gaza City when Israel declared war on Hamas, the militant group that controlled Gaza and which had launched a surprise attack on Israel last October, killing some 1,200 people. An Israeli rocket tore through the Abeds’ apartment building soon after. Abed, her husband, and three-year-old son took refuge with extended family in central Gaza, with 19 people sharing one apartment. She prayed the war would end before she gave birth.
For months, Abed, 29, could not find a doctor or midwife for her prenatal appointments because so many hospitals in Gaza were bombed out or closed. So she turned to her mother for advice; she fretted that she wasn’t getting the prenatal vitamins or nutrition she needed. The family lived on canned beans and the occasional vegetable. There was no fruit, meat, or fish. She fainted multiple times due to the poor diet and vomited from contaminated water.
Anytime Abed imagined her baby’s future, she panicked, worrying about what would happen if she couldn’t breastfeed and formula wasn’t available, or if she was killed and her baby orphaned, as by the spring 19,000 children would be. Her young son had lived through multiple conflicts with Israel, but “these were like escalations, they were not wars,” she said. “I just don’t want to see my baby suffering the way people are suffering here.” She dreamed of giving birth in peacetime, when she could provide her child with mangos, cucumbers, and bananas.
By summer, the death toll of the war was staggering; the medical journal The Lancet estimating that in July 2024 between seven and nine percent of the population of the Gaza Strip had been wiped out. Some half of all deaths were women and children.
Denne historien er fra The Changemakers Issue-utgaven av Marie Claire - US.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
Allerede abonnent ? Logg på
Denne historien er fra The Changemakers Issue-utgaven av Marie Claire - US.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
Allerede abonnent? Logg på
BOREDOM HELPED THE FOUNDERS OF LEFT ON FRIDAY BUILD A NEW BRAND
Shannon Savage and Laura Low Ah Kee left their executive roles at Lululemon to try their hand at starting a bathing suit business.
A REFRESHING CONVERSATION ABOUT CLIMATE CHANGE
The realities of global warming are becoming increasingly dismal. But in her latest book What If We Get It Right?, Dr. Ayana Elizabeth Johnson explains that we already have the answers we need.
GIVING BIRTH IN GAZA
Procedures performed with kitchen scissors. Makeshift medical tents with no pain medication, clean water, or electricity. Marie Claire goes inside one of the most dangerous places in the world to be pregnant right now.
MYHA'LA IS THINKING BIG
The Industry star is entering a new phase of life, determined to take up more space in her personal and professional endeavors. Showing off this season's bold, billowing silhouettes, she tells us all about it.
COAST ALONG
A slice of the Mexican shoreline in Costalegre is reconsidering what sustainable travel can look like, through gentle development and thoughtful community.
READY FOR DRIFT OFF
A new wave of sleep retreats and spas are offering another way to get some shut-eye.
THE BARE TRUTH ABOUT NAKED DRESSING
The trend isn't just for A-listers. But it isn't necessarily for all of us, either.
FASHION IS LOSING MIDDLE GROUND
In-between brands are disappearing. And with them, an entire perspective on style.
WORK WIVES ARE GOING EXTINCT
They're becoming less common as remote and hybrid work get more prevalent. But is now the time when we need them most?
MY DECADES-LONG JOURNEY TO CURLS
\"My hair's growth these years, much like mine, has been stunningly imperfect.\"
