9 Months Pregnant in Gaza: Aisha’s Story

Jul 12, 2024 12:20 PM ET
Around 45% of pregnant women in Gaza are suffering from malnutrition.
Around 45% of pregnant women in Gaza are suffering from malnutrition. Image Courtesy of MaMagazine

Originally published in MaMagazine. 

My name is Aisha. I am 27 years old. On October 7, 2023, my life changed forever. That morning, as the first bombs fell on my city, I discovered that I was pregnant with my first baby. Joy and fear intertwined in my heart, and every heartbeat since then has been marked by uncertainty and hope.

In the first days of the conflict, the chaos was absolute: explosions, death, airstrikes leveling cafes, houses, schools, and a mass exodus of people seeking an impossible refuge. My family and I were forced to leave our home in Gaza City, taking only the clothes on our backs. We headed south to Rafah, where we found temporary shelter in an overcrowded school. We were living in conditions unfit for life, with no toilets and no place for privacy.

Read more in MaMagazine. 

About Action Against Hunger

Action Against Hunger is a nonprofit leader in the global movement to end hunger, innovating solutions, advocating for change, and reaching 28 million people every year with proven hunger prevention and treatment programs spanning 55 countries. We strive to create a world free from hunger, for everyone, for good.

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Illustration by María Herreros.