In Gaza, upwards of 50,000 expecting mothers are grappling with pregnancy amidst harrowing conditions, averaging 180 births daily. Many are given birth under challenging circumstances with inadequate medical aid and insufficient nutrition, according to Fikr Shalltoot, who actively works with Medical Aid for Palestinians (MAP) as their Programme Director.
During a recent episode of the Irish Times Women’s Podcast, Shalltoot expressed concern over the plight of these mothers-to-be. The treatment facilities lack fundamental amenities such as privacy, bedding and blankets. Many of these women are fraught with anxieties over delivering their babies in the shelter, she added.
The programme’s host, Róisín Ingle, engaged with Shalltoot during International Women’s Day week, as she highlighted the impact of the ongoing Gaza conflict on women and children. More often than not, women and children tend to bear the brunt of violence as they are primarily homebound, she remarked.
Various organisations including the United Nations and Human Rights Watch have categorised the scenario as a “war on women”. This conflict claims an average of 63 female lives daily and, since last October, already more than 25,000 women and children have lost their lives.
In the podcast session, Shalltoot shed much-needed light on the hardships of delivering aid where it’s needed most and expressed her aspirations for peaceful resolution in the area.
The episode also featured MayKay Geraghty, a member of the Irish Artists for Palestine collective and a musician known for her stirring rendition of the late Sinead O’Connor’s ‘Black Boys on Mopeds’. On March 15th, she plans to utilise this piece of music to generate funds for the Lajee Centre in the Aida refugee camp in the West Bank. The above podcast is available for listening wherever you access your podcasts.