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.Recommended Stories list of 3 itemslist 1 of 3Disarmament, humanitarian aid at centre of new Gaza ‘working groups’list 2 of 3Japanese activist keeps protesting against Israel’s genocide in Gazalist 3 of 3What to know about California’s special election to replace Eric Swalwellend of listEman, 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 healthc...