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.

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Eman, 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 healthcare made the pregnancy harder. Ward was born before her due date and spent 10 days in hospital.

After giving birth, Eman struggled to breastfeed. She developed painful cracks in her breasts and, for a period, relied on formula milk – which is expensive in Gaza and requires access to clean water.

“Dealing with the cracks made breastfeeding very difficult for me. I struggled to cope with my condition and couldn’t find the right support or suitable medical creams,” she says, as Israeli restrictions on imports into Gaza made the lotions hard to obtain.

Iman Abu Ouda, a breastfeeding specialist, supports displaced mothers in Gaza facing the challenges of breastfeeding during the war [Abdelhakim Abu Riash/Al Jazeera]

A space for mothers

Inside the clinic, Eman is received by Sabreen al-Buhaisi, the centre’s nursing manager and a breastfeeding specialist.

Pregnant women and new mothers receive guidance at the Mother and Child Corner on breastfeeding. According to al-Buhaisi, the centre provides breastfeeding support to about 400 to 500 women every month.

“Displacement, loss, death, and the economic conditions women are going through have all affected breastfeeding,” al-Buhaisi says. “They have also affected women’s understanding and beliefs about breastfeeding.”

To solve this, the centre also works with families, inviting the women’s partners and other relatives to sessions on how to support breastfeeding mothers.

“We do not limit the service to counselling the woman,” al-Buhaisi says. “We work with the whole family.”

The nursing manager highlights that the centre is a “safe space”, away from Gaza’s ongoing troubles, where Israeli strikes continue despite a ceasefire, and reconstruction of the devastated territory still seems far away.

“We listen to the woman’s questions and fears and try to answer all of them,” al-Buhaisi says.

Eman says the sessions helped her breastfeed regularly and understand how to care for herself while managing diabetes. They have also helped her learn more about what food and drink are available in Gaza after nearly three years of war. Her family, like many others, have no income and cannot afford basic foods. Fruit and meat may be available in the market, but the prices are beyond what the family can afford.

“They taught me what I can eat and drink from whatever is available to us [in Gaza],” she says. “Our situation is very difficult when it comes to food and water, and we still depend on the community kitchen for our meals.”

Displaced mothers in Gaza face breastfeeding challenges amid displacement, psychological stress and poor nutrition [Abdelhakim Abu Riash/Al Jazeera]

Breastfeeding after loss

Hiba al-Masri has suffered greatly during the war. The 23-year-old mother of four lost her third daughter in the early months of the conflict. She was only 20 days old when she passed away as the family struggled to survive, displaced in northern Gaza.

The family is still displaced. They have now moved to central Gaza, where Hiba is trying to care for her three-month-old son, Yusuf, in a tent they share with her husband’s extended family – 15 people in total.

Hiba, who also attends the sessions at the Mother and Child Corner, is trying to breastfeed Yusuf, but she says the crowded conditions give her little privacy, while caring for her other children adds to the pressure.

She also struggled with poor nutrition after a difficult pregnancy.

“Sometimes you are tired, and there is so much you have to do, but you still have to take care of the baby,” she says.

Despite the challenges, Hiba says she has seen her son’s health improve, and says that the support at the centre has improved her ability to take care of Yusuf.

“Breastfeeding is a million times better than formula,” Hiba says.

Hiba al-Masri, a displaced mother of four, breastfeeds her three-month-old son while caring for her other children in a crowded tent [Abdelhakim Abu Riash/Al Jazeera]

Hunger, stress and misconceptions

The challenges faced by Eman and Hiba are part of a wider struggle brought on by Israel’s war, says Iman Abu Ouda, a breastfeeding specialist at the Mother and Child Corner.

Women, she explains, often struggle to reach health centres because transportation is scarce and expensive.

Those who do reach them may be living in overcrowded tents that offer little protection from the heat or cold.

Abu Ouda says some mothers also believe that the circumstances are impacting their ability to breastfeed.

“Some women tell us, ‘Because of my psychological state and because I am not eating enough, I cannot breastfeed,’” she says.

The team tries to explain that many women are often able to continue breastfeeding even in difficult conditions, while acknowledging the severe food shortages women face.

“The food situation is still very poor,” Abu Ouda says. “Some women turn to formula, even at a time when it was rare, very expensive, and difficult to find.”

Meat, fish and fruit are often too expensive for families to afford. The clinic instead suggests cheaper alternatives such as lentils, beans and chickpeas, and provides available nutritional supplements.

The support also extends beyond breastfeeding itself.

Some women arrive after losing a family member or their homes, carrying grief alongside the physical demands of caring for a newborn. Abu Ouda says the centre works with its mental health team to support mothers who are struggling psychologically.

But for Eman, the support she receives at the clinic cannot erase the conditions waiting for her outside.

In her tent, water must be carried, dirt and sand cover the living space, and insects and rodents are a constant concern.

“The most important thing for kids is hygiene and clean space, but we do not have that at all in the tents,” she says.

She often stays next to her baby, Ward, while she sleeps, afraid that an insect or rat could get close to the baby.

And yet, despite the conditions, she is determined to provide for her daughter – including by breastfeeding.

“We mothers can endure these circumstances, but what is the fault of our children?” Eman says.