Before the latest escalation in violence between Israel and Hamas, pregnant women in the Gaza Strip could have health check-ups, get advice on nutrition and prepare their homes for the arrival of their babies. Today, thousands are living in shelters where there is not enough food or clean water, and they dread the prospect of giving birth on the floor with no doctor or midwife to help.
Shorouq is seven months pregnant with her first child. She is living in a shelter in Khan Younis in the south of Gaza. "How can I possibly give birth here?" she asks. "There's no access to healthcare and hygiene. Giving birth in this shelter would be a catastrophe for me."
