As Israel inflicts starvation, I am fighting to feed my baby in Gaza
Al Jazeera
Amid the lack of food, I want to keep breastfeeding Lya, hoping to protect her from malnutrition.
Gaza City – My daughter Lya was just shy of seven months old when Israel’s war on Gaza began.
She was born on March 19, 2023, two years after my husband, Mohammed, and I were married. It hadn’t been easy to conceive, and we were overjoyed to have Lya. From those early newborn days, I carefully considered everything that Lya would need, from her clothes to toys to later experimenting with recipes for the food that would nourish her. I had been adamant about breastfeeding for six months before introducing solid foods, wanting Lya to benefit from my milk as she grew and her immune system developed.
As a working mother, I would spend nearly eight hours a day away from Lya. After work, I would rush home to spend time with my daughter.
Then the war began on October 7. I had survived one war after another, yet this time I was a mother whose caution and careful planning was about to be painfully tested.
Almost immediately, Israel blocked the entry of food, water, fuel and electricity into the Gaza Strip.
