In the heart of Khan Younis, a mother’s anguished plea echoed through the chaos of war: “Please, don’t put him in the fridge! He can’t bear the cold.” Her 2-year-old son, Omar, had just been lost to an airstrike, a victim of violence that has claimed the lives of over 20,000 Palestinian women and 15,000 children since the escalation of conflict began in October 2023. This tragedy is not merely a statistic; it represents the systematic targeting of a people’s future, a chilling reminder of the ongoing Nakba—the catastrophe that began in 1948 and continues to unfold today.
As Palestinians observe Nakba Day on May 15, they reflect not only on the historical dispossession but also on the current realities that render life unbearable. The war is not solely about the loss of life; it is an assault on the very conditions necessary for survival. The destruction of health care infrastructure, particularly maternity wards and neonatal units, has left pregnant women vulnerable and without essential care. UNICEF has reported a staggering 300 percent increase in miscarriages, while eight infants tragically died of hypothermia in January alone. The implications are dire: to dismantle reproductive health is to erase the future of an entire population.
The situation is exacerbated by the lack of basic necessities. Families are forced to live, give birth, and bury their loved ones in the same devastated spaces. One father described the atmosphere as apocalyptic, where the struggle for survival extends beyond avoiding bombs to securing clean water and sanitation. “You feel subhuman here,” he lamented, capturing the essence of life under siege. This is not just a war of bullets and bombs; it is a war against humanity itself.
The statistics paint a grim picture. An average of 37 mothers are killed each day, and for the past 19 months, Israel has claimed the lives of approximately 30 children daily. A recent report from Gaza’s health ministry revealed that the first 27 pages of a document listing confirmed deaths were filled with names of infants under one year old. The toll on women and children is staggering, with at least 50,000 pregnant women left without medical care, forced to give birth amidst rubble and despair.
The intentional targeting of health care facilities has been documented by various human rights organizations. A U.N. panel found that Israel has systematically attacked hospitals, leaving only 17 of Gaza’s 36 hospitals partially operational as of December 2024. The legal frameworks designed to protect civilians, such as the Fourth Geneva Convention and the Convention on the Rights of the Child, are being blatantly disregarded. Article II of the Genocide Convention defines one form of genocide as “imposing measures intended to prevent births within the group,” a chilling reality that resonates with the experiences of Palestinian women today.
The destruction extends beyond physical infrastructure; it is a calculated effort to dismantle the very fabric of Palestinian society. The bombing of Gaza’s largest fertility clinic, which housed 3,000 embryos, and the shelling of maternity wards are stark examples of this strategy. Doctors are performing unnecessary hysterectomies to prevent infections in the absence of antibiotics, a grim testament to the lengths to which medical professionals are forced to go in a war zone.
The psychological toll is equally devastating. Women like Dina Hani ‘Eleiwa, who was nine months pregnant when white phosphorus was dropped near her shelter, face the unbearable reality of losing their children before they even have a chance to live. “The doctor told me the baby was not moving,” she recounted, a haunting reminder of the trauma inflicted by this conflict. Hadil Isma’il Sbeihat, eight months pregnant, survives on a meager plate of rice each day, lamenting, “There’s nothing for the baby. Not even water.”
In the West Bank, the machinery of oppression operates through different means, with children facing execution at checkpoints and systematic detention in military courts. Human Rights Watch has documented the torture of minors, highlighting the pervasive violence that permeates every aspect of Palestinian life. In 2023 alone, Israeli forces killed at least 111 Palestinian children in the West Bank, a statistic that underscores the urgent need for international attention and action.
Palestinian women have long been the backbone of their communities, enduring unimaginable hardships while nurturing life in the shadow of death. From the trauma of 1948 to the current crisis, they have shown resilience in the face of adversity. Today, they boil leaves to feed their babies and breastfeed under bombardment, embodying the struggle for survival against overwhelming odds.
As the world watches, it is vital to recognize that the plight of the Palestinian people is not an abstract concept. Each name, each story, represents a life lost, a future extinguished. Omar was not just a statistic; he was a child with a name, a family, and dreams that will never be realized. The ongoing Nak
