From Gaza: “I wished I could put her back in my stomach". Mothers describe giving birth and fighting for survival as conflict nears 1000 days
July 1, 2026
Testimonies, collected by the War Child in Gaza this month, describe conditions that show children born into this war have known nothing but violence, hunger and displacement from their first living moments. The crisis for children and their families in Gaza is far from over.
Shatha* was six months pregnant when the ceasefire broke down and the crossings closed again. Hunger returned. She says she stopped thinking about herself and focused only on the child growing inside her.
She was in labour for three days. There was no bread at the hospital. The doctor attending her was visibly emaciated - too weak to properly assist the birth, “When I went to the hospital, medical staff were exhausted. There was no bread at the time. I remember how skinny the doctor was, she was unable to facilitate the birth process. After three days, thankfully, my daughter came to this life.”
In the weeks that followed, Shatha* was unable to breastfeed - her body depleted after months of what she describes as famine. She turned to baby formula, which was scarce and expensive. Nappies were nearly impossible to find.
A second mother, Farah*, describes a near-identical experience. She fled south under bombardment while in labour - unable to call an ambulance, she walked until she could find transport to reach a hospital. Her fear throughout pregnancy had not been of death, but of what the chemicals in the air would do to her unborn child, whether he would be born with disabilities, or genetic damage.
After her son was born, she made diapers from cloth strips she cut and shaped by hand. A single strip cost around 8 USD and lasted only a few days. She could not breastfeed adequately. Like Shatha*, Farah's child survived on formula she struggled to afford. Despite everything, her focus never wavered from her children, "I want my son to know that I struggled to provide him with something of a suitable environment. I want my children to know that I would do whatever it takes to protect them."
These accounts are not isolated. The UN Commission of Inquiry reported last week that by October 2024, women in Gaza were facing a 300 percent increase in miscarriages and birth complications.
War Child, which has maintained operations with partners in Gaza throughout the conflict, says the conditions described by both mothers reflect a wider pattern affecting families across the Strip. One staff member describes the helplessness they feel seeing children deal with things beyond their years.
Nearly 1000 days into the conflict, caregivers across the occupied Palestinian territory are still afraid - of hunger, of no clean water, of finding adequate shelter to raise their families, of a future without schools. Shatha* said, "I don't want the world to think we've recovered. People might think that the war has stopped, and life is back to normal. Not at all. My biggest wish is for my daughter to grow up in a safe environment and to go to school. There are no schools here."
War Child is calling on all parties to the conflict to end all violence immediately and without condition, honour the ceasefire, lift all restrictions on humanitarian aid, and end all policies that drive the displacement and dispossession of Palestinian communities across the occupied Palestinian territory.
NOTES TO EDITORS
- War Child operates across the occupied Palestinian territory, including the West Bank and Gaza with local partners. In 2026, our teams have reached over 90,000 people with humanitarian assistance, child protection, education, and mental health support. In 2025, we supported more than 340,000 people, including more than 145,000 children.
- Testimonies were collected by War Child in Gaza in June 2025. Further transcripts and voice notes are available. Names and all identifying details have been changed to protect the safety of individuals and their families. All names (*) are pseudonyms.
- We have a spokesperson available for interview. Please contact Lucy Hawkins, Media and Campaigns Manager lucy.hawkins@warchild.net +447545878637 to arrange.
