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.
asserted
Huneidq → leave → 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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She → come → war
activist keeps protesting against Israel’s genocide in Gaza
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activist → keep → Swalwell
She has diabetes and a condition that causes her blood to clot.
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blood → have → diabetes
“I had not had a child for 14 years because of my health condition, so this pregnancy was especially difficult for me,” she says.
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she → have → me
Eman did not know she was pregnant until she was five months along.
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she → know → ?
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.
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war → live → enclave
Poor nutrition and limited access to healthcare made the pregnancy harder.
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pregnancy → make → healthcare
Ward was born before her due date and spent 10 days in hospital.
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Ward → bear → hospital
After giving birth, Eman struggled to breastfeed.
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Eman → give → birth
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.
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which → develop → water
“Dealing with the cracks made breastfeeding very difficult for me.
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breastfeeding → deal → 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.
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lotions → struggle → Gaza
Inside the clinic, Eman is received by Sabreen al-Buhaisi, the centre’s nursing manager and a breastfeeding specialist.
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Eman → receive → Buhaisi
Pregnant women and new mothers receive guidance at the Mother and Child Corner on breastfeeding.
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women → receive → breastfeeding
According to al-Buhaisi, the centre provides breastfeeding support to about 400 to 500 women every month.
uncertain
centre → accord → women
“Displacement, loss, death, and the economic conditions women are going through have all affected breastfeeding,” al-Buhaisi says.
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Buhaisi → go → breastfeeding
“They have also affected women’s understanding and beliefs about breastfeeding.”
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They → affect → 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.
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centre → solve → mothers
“We do not limit the service to counselling the woman,” al-Buhaisi says.
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Buhaisi → limit → woman
“We work with the whole family.”
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We → work → 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.
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reconstruction → highlight → territory
“We listen to the woman’s questions and fears and try to answer all of them,” al-Buhaisi says.
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Buhaisi → listen → them
Eman says the sessions helped her breastfeed regularly and understand how to care for herself while managing diabetes.
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her → say → diabetes
They have also helped her learn more about what food and drink are available in Gaza after nearly three years of war.
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food → help → war
Her family, like many others, have no income and cannot afford basic foods.
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family → have → foods
Fruit and meat may be available in the market, but the prices are beyond what the family can afford.
uncertain
family → afford → what
“They taught me what I can eat and drink from whatever is available to us [in Gaza],” she says.
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she → teach → Gaza
“Our situation is very difficult when it comes to food and water, and we still depend on the community kitchen for our meals.”
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we → come → meals
Breastfeeding after loss
Hiba al-Masri has suffered greatly during the war.
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Masri → breastfeed → war
The 23-year-old mother of four lost her third daughter in the early months of the conflict.
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mother → lose → conflict
She was only 20 days old when she passed away as the family struggled to survive, displaced in northern Gaza.
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family → pass → Gaza
The family is still displaced.
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family → displace → ?
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.
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they → move → 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.
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caring → attend → pressure
She also struggled with poor nutrition after a difficult pregnancy.
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She → struggle → 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.
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she → be → baby
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.
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support → say → Yusuf
“Breastfeeding is a million times better than formula,” Hiba says.
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Hiba → say → formula
Hunger, stress and misconceptions
The challenges faced by Eman and Hiba are part of a wider struggle brought on by Israel’s war
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challenges → face → war
…and 17 more, not listed.
The Aporia
