New life among all the death in Gaza

GAZA CITY - At the al-Shifa hospital, Middle East Eye met three mothers who gave birth as Israeli air, land and naval attacks were raining down on the enclave. While those strikes were killing Gazans - over 2,000 of them, mostly civilians - these three young women were bringing new lives into the world.

Maha al-Shamaley, 22, Shejaiya

As the Israeli offensive on Gaza began, a heavily pregnant Maha was forced to flee her home. 

“We were in Shejaiya when the Israelis told us to leave our homes. We went to my cousin’s house but then we had to leave again. We were desperate and fled to the hospital where we slept in a tent in the park. I suddenly felt a lot of pain and gave birth at the hospital. I was actually meant to leave the hospital four days ago, but fortunately the doctor allowed me to stay because I have no place to go back to.”

Her aunt, Samira al-Shamaley, took MEE to another room and recounted the full story:

“She [Maha] lives in Shejaiya, near the border where she and her brother had farms"

"During a temporary ceasefire, her father and brothers came back to the house to collect some things. But the ceasefire had already been broken, and one of her brothers was shot in the middle of the street. When the other brother came to the rescue, he was also shot."

"Their father witnessed this nightmare; he threw a rope to one of his sons so that he could pull him to safety. Twice the father tried, but in vain, and when an ambulance finally reached the scene, it was also hit."

"They eventually managed to reach the Shejaiya hospital in a carriage pulled by a horse. From there, they were transported to Shifa hospital in an ambulance. The whole family lives there in ramshackle tents.”

Maha who does not know about her brothers being shot, still has no name for her baby.

 “I am not in the mood for giving my baby a name. My thoughts are constantly with my missing family and this awful war. When the time is right, God will give us a name.

Eman Mahmoud Aboudeh, 20, Beit Hanoun

Eman had just delivered her second child as MEE spoke to her, and could hardly speak due to sheer exhaustion.

“We have no place to live. Our three-floor apartment was completely destroyed by bombs so we fled to a school where we now live.”

“Our house was heavily bombed, so ran out of the house. We kept running until we reached the school in Jebalia. My daughter N’la felt the bombs in her stomach and got very ill. When the bombardment finally stopped, we took her to the hospital.”

“I was heavily pregnant so I stayed with my daughter in the hospital when I heard that the school had been bombed. In a sense, we are lucky that my daughter was in hospital, because otherwise she might have been dead.” 

Khadira Samir Magalouf, 35, Al-Tofaha

"We knew it was a dangerous time was at the end of Ramadan. I heard my children screaming and crying when the [Israeli forces] searched our neighbours’ home. All my neighbours got killed," she said.

Khadira’s son Jamil is in a shock and cannot stay in the house because it is too dangerous.

"He feels terrified, keeping his hands over his ears, because he doesnot want to hear the sound of bombs anymore" said his mother. "Jamil no longer reacts to anything".

With prospects of peace appearing unclear, it is equally uncertain what future these Gazan children will face.