Following Hamas’ attacks on Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, the Israeli military launched a devastating assault on Gaza. Many leading genocide scholars, including Gregory H. Stanton, Raz Segal, and Omer Bartov, have described the campaign as genocide, though Israel rejects that characterization.
Today, Gaza’s health system is in ruins. More than 85% of the population has been displaced, and only a fraction of hospitals and primary health centres remain partially functional amid severe shortages of fuel, water, electricity, medications, blood, and sterile supplies. A 2024 Lancet analysis estimates about 180 births a day in Gaza, with roughly 15% requiring advanced care.
As part of our continuing series, Midwives Critical in Every Crisis, we put names and stories to those living and working through this moment. We ask what mothers and babies are facing, what health workers have witnessed and learned, and what midwives in Canada can do now.
Resources & References
The Lancet — Pregnant women in Gaza require urgent protection
https://www.thelancet.com/journals/lancet/article/PIIS0140-6736%2823%2902835-0/fulltext
MSF — Maternal and child health suffer under a decimated system
UNFPA — As famine looms in Gaza, pregnant women and newborns face life-threatening health risks
UNICEF — Born into hell
https://www.unicef.org/press-releases/born-hell
MSF — Timeline: Bearing Witness to Genocide in Gaza
https://www.doctorswithoutborders.org/latest/timeline-bearing-witness-genocide-gaza
UN Special Rapporteur — Gaza Genocide: A Collective Crime
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Strength in Practice is produced by the Canadian Association of Midwives, in collaboration with Bespoke Podcasts.
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