Noura, a 26-year-old Palestinian woman, feels her world crumble around her as she recalls the joy of discovering her pregnancy in July 2023. The positive pregnancy test brought hope after years of IVF treatment, leading her and her husband Mohamed to store two frozen embryos at Al-Basma Fertility Centre in Gaza City for future pregnancies. However, hope turned to despair when Israel launched a military campaign in response to Hamas's attack on October 7, 2023, resulting in horrific casualties and widespread destruction.
Displaced like many others, Noura and Mohamed faced harrowing challenges, fleeing frequent bombings without access to necessary medical care. Tragically, Noura suffered a severe hemorrhage several months into her pregnancy, leading to the loss of her twins. In the chaos, their precious frozen embryos were also lost. Dr. Baha Ghalayini, the director of Al-Basma Fertility Centre, confirmed that the clinic was shelled in December 2023, resulting in the destruction of nearly 4,000 frozen embryos and hundreds of stored sperm and egg samples.
Dr. Ghalayini expressed profound sorrow, stating, “These are not just numbers; they’re people's dreams.” He estimated that between 100 and 150 women, many facing unique medical challenges, lost their only chance at parenthood. The UN's Independent International Commission of Inquiry condemned the destruction of fertility clinics, suggesting a targeted strategy to undermine the reproductive capacity of Palestinians.
In response, the Israel Defense Forces have claimed adherence to international law and minimized civilian harm. However, accusations of intentionally destroying such clinics persist, raising critical ethical questions about the consequences of warfare on vulnerable populations.
Noura, like many women, now faces an uncertain future without the possibility of starting a family. Couples like Sara Khudari and Islam Lubbad, who were in the midst of their IVF journeys, have also lost their dreams amid the war-torn landscape, where all of Gaza's fertility clinics are now non-functional.
With the destruction of vital medical facilities coupled with the ongoing conflict, the lives of countless families hang in the balance, illustrating the devastating human toll of war beyond mere physical destruction.
