By Mohamed Majed
GAZA CITY, Palestine (AA) - Pregnant Palestinian women are facing miscarriages and premature births in the Gaza Strip, where hospitals have not been spared from Israeli bombings since a new conflict began Oct. 7.
The Al-Shifa Medical Complex in Gaza City directed its obstetric service to the Al-Hilu International Hospital since it received large numbers of war victims. The hospital is also a shelter for thousands of displaced residents.
Pregnant women suffer from a lack of beds, doctors and good pre- and post-natal medical care, due to the war Israel is waging on Gaza.
Islam Hamdan, from the town of Beit Hanoun, told Anadolu about her sister, who is about to give birth at the Al-Hilu International Hospital in Gaza City.
“We had difficulty moving from Beit Hanoun at night because of the war on Gaza,” said Hamdan. “We went to more than one health center and hospital and faced bombing in all of them.”
“We were finally transferred to the Al-Hilu International Hospital where we feel a bit more stable considering the current conditions,” she said. "We have witnessed terrifying scenes.”
“Nowhere is safe, not hospitals, not schools, nowhere,” she said.
Hamdan pointed out that it was time for her sister to give birth, but due to fear as a result of the Israeli war and continuous bombing, the birth process is difficult.
“There are many cases of miscarriage and premature childbirth among women who are unable to reach hospitals due to the bombing," she said.
“We are having difficulty finding water, bread, and even finding a bathroom,” said Hamdan, as he urged the world to “stand with Gaza.”
Abdel Hakim Shehata, an obstetrician and gynecologist, and Al-Shifa hospital’s caretaker, told Anadolu: “Since the beginning of the aggression on Gaza, a large number of women have had premature births and many miscarriages, which are caused by fear and panic.”
"Women go to give birth in Al-Hilu Hospital since Al-Shifa Hospital cannot provide for them anymore due to the great influx of injured people as a result of the war and Israeli bombing,” he added.
“We are in a state of war, there is a ground invasion on the Gaza Strip,” he said. “We lack everything in the field of medicine.”
He pointed out that "the hospital operates with a small number of doctors because doctors from the northern regions and Gaza City are heading to the south of the Strip."
The Palestinian Ministry of Health said Gaza Strip hospitals are suffering from a shortage of fuel, medicine and medical supplies as a result of the Israeli war on the Gaza Strip.
Palestinian Minister of Health Mai Al-Kaila warned Friday of “a humanitarian catastrophe that might occur in the next few hours as a result of the main electricity generators shutting down due to fuel running out in the Al-Shifa Medical Complex.”
“Sixteen out of 35 hospitals in Gaza have stopped working as a result of the Israeli continuous bombing and fuel exhaustion, and a number of others are threatened with being out of service within less than 24 hours,” said Al-Kaila
Gaza Health Ministry spokesman Ashraf Al-Qudra, warned Wednesday of a “health catastrophe” due to the shutdown of the main electrical generator at the Indonesian Hospital, and the shutdown of the main generator in the Al-Shifa Medical Complex.
The Israeli army has recently targeted hospitals in the Gaza Strip. including the Al-Shifa Hospital, Al-Quds Hospital and Indonesian Hospital.
The army also targeted the entrance of Al-Nasr Children’s Hospital on Saturday in western Gaza City.
Israeli aircraft targeted the power generator of the Al-Wafaa Hospital in Gaza on Saturday.
The Israeli army has widened its air and ground attacks on the Gaza Strip, which has been under relentless airstrikes since the surprise offensive by the Palestinian group, Hamas, on Oct. 7.
At least 9,227 Palestinians, mostly children and women, have been killed in Israeli attacks since then, while the Israeli death toll has topped 1,500, according to official figures.
*Writing by Ikram Kouachi