Siege Hits Palestinians Before They Are Born
GAZA CITY, May 14 - The Israeli siege of Gaza that has restricted access to food, water and medicine is now beginning to hit unborn children and newborn babies.
“Many babies are born suffering from anaemia that they have inherited from their mothers,” Dr Salah al-Rantisi, head of the women’s health department at the Palestinian ministry of health in Gaza told IPS. And the mothers are becoming anaemic because they do not now get enough nutrition through pregnancy.
That in turn happens because the Israeli blockade has choked the supply of food and medicines.
Dr al-Rantisi also heads the women’s health unit at Nasser hospital, where about 30 to 40 children are born every day. Many suffer from anaemia, he says.
Anwaar Abu Daqqa, 30, has lost three babies prematurely. The foetuses were malformed as a result of lack of nutrition and medicine for the mother, Dr al-Rantisi said. And in the last case she reached hospital late because she could not find transport.
“Premature babies born dangerously underweight is a daily and increasing phenomenon in Gaza’s hospitals,” he says.
The Gaza Strip is poorer and harder hit than the West Bank, but there too there are well documented instances of women having to give birth at checkpoints because of restrictions on movement.
The ministry of health says 9,000 to 10,000 babies are born in the Gaza Strip every month. Of every 1,000 born, 28 die from malnutrition, anaemia and other poverty-related causes. The ministry has no figures for surviving babies suffering from malnutrition.
“There are many cases of pregnant women who need medicines that are not available in Gaza,” al-Rantisi said. Most families could not afford them if they were available, he said.
The World Bank said last month that the poverty rate in Gaza is now close to 67 percent and that economic growth last year was zero.
One consequence of poverty is anaemia. The condition, a direct consequence of poor nutrition, is not new to Gaza. The United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) reported in 2002 that 19 percent of Gazans suffer from anaemia. That figure is estimated by UNRWA now to be 77.5 percent. Children receive on average only 61 percent of their daily need of calories from UN supplies.
Many of the newly born have been hit by the political situation before they could open their eyes to the world. Of the many deliveries that take place at al-Shifa hospital, the largest in Gaza, no one can tell how many of these children could grow up to live happy and healthy lives. Through the many dangers has arisen awareness of this new one - that sanctions can hit Gazans quite literally prematurely.
The fear of bombing comes later; the first dangers are the lack of food, water and medicines.
Tahani Safi, 29, lies worrying about the caesarean section scheduled for the next day. She suffers from malnutrition, high blood pressure, diabetes, and a shortage of protective water around the child in the womb.
There are many mothers with such difficulties. Such cases can be found at any hospital, but doctors say the number of cases of conditions a result of poor food and medical care in Gaza is now rising. Health authorities have warned that the life and health of countless unborn babies is in serious danger all across Gaza.
So far 146 Gazans have died directly as a result of the Israeli siege, and the border closures and shortage of medication and health care this has brought, according to the ministry of health.
The U.S. celebrated Mothers Day Sunday May 11. No one in Gaza did.
© 2008 Inter Press Service
I don’t know what do say. I hope they do well besides the bad start. But after listening to Bush’s speech today, I doubt it.
Where is the right-to-life crowd on this issue? What is happening in Gaza, and has happened to numerous fragile newborns detained at check points elsewhere, andwho could have been saved, i is nothing other than deliberate genocide indeed, on an infant scale, but genocide nonetheless. It is in flagrant violation of the duties of the Occupier, Israel, to see to the basic well-being of the occupied.
How can there ever be any peace at all between Israel and the Palestinians when Israel acts so brutishly, as a law unto itself? Why would they respect a treaty if one were signed? Israel is dominated by outlaws, in a lawless society, and one can only hope the more moderate Jews all over the world and in Israel will find their voices and strength and gather their collective will to put an end to these horrors.
The people responsible for this need to be in a court-of-law answering for this; not celelbrating the birthday of their nation. Indeed-how many Palestinian childeren wiil not make it to their first birthday because of the policies of Israel?
Some people are so incredibly selfish they only think of themselves. Israelis are barbarians and should be held accountable for human rights violations.
There is a hard core at the heart of the Zionist movement for whom this is a desired result.
Of course, in the US, there is a hard core of the Republican party for whom US infant mortality being 50% higher than the best of the first world is a desired result. The same thing for what happened with Katrina.
Genocide, and ethnic cleansing. That’s how the US was built. (think Native Americans)
Genocide, and ethnic cleansing. Thant’s what Israel is doing with the full support of the US.
No surprises here.
Citizen1, you hit the nail right on the head.
I take back my statement about Israelis being barbarians. They’re monsters.
How can people celebrate the resistance of the Warsaw ghetto and replicate the Warsaw ghetto for the Palestinians? My heart is sick.
What can be done? God, there are so many situations that call out for resistance. Help me to think through what a citizen of the world can do about this.
It’s not a “siege” at all. Gaza claims to be a foreign country and israel has no obligation to help them with anything! Especially since the palestinians are trying to murder them.
Tell egypt to send them aid.
Jclient, I’ve got an idea of what you can do! Instead of jumping on the pro arab bandwagon, “resisist” islamic fundementalism for a change. Comparing the palestinians to jews in the warsaw ghetto is disgusting and offensive, but then again I suppose its meant to be these things…
Great argument.
With the average Palestinian having 5 children to the Israeli woman’s 2, do you really think the Zionists are losing any sleep over this? I think this was the plan all along.
sphne, and the egyptians are playing along with this plan? Why don’t they aid the gazans?
This is known as ‘Israeli family planning’ - this is how Israelis ‘plan’ the families of their untermenschen - allowing for ‘natural increase of the fit and decrease of the unfit’. A fitting way to celebrate the 60th Anniversary of that Fascist little pimple on the rump of the universe!
Christ said something about how we would be judged by our treatment of the ‘least among us’.
Although I am uncertain that the question was asked in a sincere quest for knowledge, here’s my take on it. The Egyptians have claimed that they don’t aid the Gazans because of something called the Camp David Accords. They believe the problem of the Palestinians’ treatment is between the Palestinians and the Israeli. To open or keep open the wall, would allow the Israelis to claim that the Palestinians’ problems belong to Egypt. Any subsequent attack launched from Gaza would be considered to have occurred under the auspices of Egypt with whatever ramifications and consequences that might engender. You can sort of see why that wouldn’t exactly appeal to the Egyptians, or any one else in their right mind.
Jewbacca - it is totally not meant to be offensive. I am very heartbroken about both Gaza and Warsaw, even though the Warsaw ghetto happened a long time ago. Please believe that people can be critical of Israeli policy and still place infinite value of Jewish lives.