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SvennoJ on 14 December 2024
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C-sections without anaesthesia and needless deaths: the realities of Gaza's maternity care

Israel's war on Gaza has wrecked maternity care in the enclave, as doctors and midwives contend with few resources, higher rates of premature births and babies born severely unwell, an obstetrics and gynaecology doctor who worked there this year has told The National.

Hundreds of babies are dying needlessly as crucial items needed to care for mothers and their children are scarce, due to siege conditions imposed by Israel, said Dr Thalia Pachiyannakis, from Indiana in the US Midwest. Babies who make it through labour arrive with signs of chronic malnutrition.

“Palestinian babies were very big, fat babies. But now, because the mothers are malnourished, the babies' growth is restricted,” Dr Pachiyannakis said.

The UN Population Fund sexual and reproductive health agency found in September that more than 17,000 pregnant women were on the brink of famine, with nearly 11,000 already experiencing severe food shortages.

Dr Pachiyannakis is one of a group of courageous medics who travelled to Gaza to provide life-saving care, entering with a UN convoy.



El Sisi discusses Gaza ceasefire efforts and hostages with senior US officials

Egyptian President Abdel Fattah El Sisi spoke to visiting US officials on Saturday about efforts to reach a ceasefire in Gaza and a hostages-for-detainees deal in the Palestinian enclave, his office said.

The officials, who met Mr El Sisi in Cairo, included US National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan and US Middle East envoy Brett McGurk, it said. 



Could Israel’s Netanyahu be about to agree to a Gaza ceasefire?

https://www.aljazeera.com/features/2024/12/14/could-israels-netanyahu-be-about-to-agree-to-a-gaza-ceasefire

Indications that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu could be ready to agree to end the assault on Gaza that has killed 44,800 people – with thousands more lost under the rubble and presumed dead – could raise hopes of an end to the war.

After meeting with Netanyahu this week, United States National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan said he “got the sense” Netanyahu was “ready to do a deal”. Until now, Netanyahu has been seen as blocking any chances of a ceasefire.

Rumours that a ceasefire agreement may be close are near-constant among those trapped in the enclave, desperate for an end to the bombardment.

“In the last week, there have been two, maybe three occasions where the community around us erupted in cheers and whistling and applause because of rumours that there has been an agreed ceasefire,” Louise Waterbridge, senior emergency officer at the UN Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA), told Al Jazeera.

The north of Gaza remains under total Israeli siege, with 65,000 to 75,000 Palestinians trapped behind the siege lines, the UN estimates, as the Israeli military has prevented aid from reaching them. Israeli forces have essentially cut off the northern part of Gaza from the south.

Aid organisations have long warned of famine in Gaza, and many believe that it has already taken hold in north Gaza.