Breastfeeding in Gaza: Mothers seek help to provide for their babies
Iman Abu Ouda, a breastfeeding specialist, supportibg displaced mothers in Gaza facing the challenges of breastfeeding during the war
Maram Humaid reports in Al Jazeera on 19 Aug 2026:
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 genocidal 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. “Dealing with the cracks made breastfeeding very difficult for me. I struggled to cope with my condition and couldn’t find the right support or suitable medical creams,” she says, as Israeli restrictions on imports into Gaza made the lotions hard to obtain.
A space for mothers
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. “We do not limit the service to counselling the woman,” al-Buhaisi says. “We work with the whole family.”
The nursing manager highlights that the centre is a “safe space”, away from Gaza’s ongoing troubles, where Israeli strikes continue despite a ceasefire, and reconstruction of the devastated territory still seems far away. “We listen to the woman’s questions and fears and try to answer all of them,” al-Buhaisi says.
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. Fruit and meat may be available in the market, but the prices are beyond what the family can afford.
“They taught me what I can eat and drink from whatever is available to us [in Gaza],” 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.”