Struggling to Nourish: How Displaced Mothers in Gaza Seek Vital Breastfeeding Support Amid War

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. 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 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.

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.

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. “They taught me what I can eat and drink from whatever is available to us,” 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.”

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 and has 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. 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.

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. The clinic suggests cheaper alternatives such as lentils, beans, and chickpeas, and provides available nutritional supplements. Despite the grim conditions in the tents, where dirt, sand, and pests are constant concerns, mothers like Eman remain determined to provide for and protect their children.