Latest news with #Malak
Yahoo
14 hours ago
- General
- Yahoo
Growing risks for pregnancy and childbirth in Gaza under Israeli blockade and bombardment
Amid a deadly war in Gaza, new lives begin. But newborn babies and those still in the womb are among the worst hit by the harsh conditions. With acute shortages of food, the UN says that one in 10 new babies is underweight or premature. There has also been an increase in miscarriages, stillbirths and congenital abnormalities. At Nasser hospital in the southern city of Khan Younis, Malak Brees, now seven months pregnant, fears the Israeli bombings and evacuation orders, and losing her baby. "I'm frightened that I could have a premature birth at any time and that my amniotic fluid isn't enough for the baby to grow in," she tells the BBC. Malak did not expect to conceive her second child. Six weeks ago, she lost a lot of amniotic fluid, putting her baby in danger. "The doctors told me it was due to malnutrition and exhaustion... They told me it was in the hands of God - the foetus could survive or die." 'Situation is dire' - BBC returns to Gaza baby left hungry by Israeli blockade Gaza baby sent back to war zone after open-heart surgery in Jordan Scared and malnourished - footage from Gaza shows plight of children and aftermath of Israeli strike While poor nutrition is causing new hazards in pregnancy, childbirth too has become far riskier. Israel's total blockade on Gaza imposed on 2 March - which it said was to pressure Hamas - was only partly eased two weeks ago. There is a lack of basic medical supplies, including painkillers, and basic hygiene products. Sometimes Israeli military action and displacement mean that women are giving birth in their tents or shelters with no medical help. "If mothers are lucky enough to come to the hospitals to deliver their babies, women who give birth vaginally are typically being sent home three to four hours afterwards," says Sandra Killen, an American registered emergency and paediatric nurse, who recently worked at the hospital in Gaza. "Women who have had surgical C-sections [Caesareans] are discharged after 24 hours," she said. "They're discharged to their homes quite often with babies who have conditions and various issues that in normal circumstances we would have stay at the hospital to get more support. "Most babies, outside of Gaza, born under 32 weeks, under 1,400g (3.1lb), they would be in the NICU [neo-natal intensive care unit]. These babies are sent home. There's just no space for them." Nasser hospital still has a working neo-natal intensive care unit, and it is full. Doctors say they have been overwhelmed by patients since the nearby European hospital was targeted in a deadly Israeli bombing on 13 May and put out of use. Israel's military has repeatedly attacked hospitals during nearly 20 months of war and says it targeted the local Hamas leader, Mohammed Sinwar, in an underground base beneath the European hospital's compound. It accuses Hamas of routinely hiding its fighters and infrastructure behind the sick and wounded, something the armed group denies. With access to basic healthcare now very difficult, most of what the UN estimates are 55,000 pregnant women in Gaza are not able to get regular pre-natal checks. "The psychological state of the women at the point of childbirth is heartbreaking, may God help them," says Dr Ahmad al-Farra, a head of paediatric and maternity care at Nasser hospital. "They are fully aware that their unborn babies are not being properly monitored and they themselves did not receive adequate nutrition, so they expect their babies to suffer from low birth weight or other complications. That's the first concern." "The second is that after giving birth, they are deeply worried about how they will manage to breastfeed or even secure formula, especially with the ongoing lack of food. Both options are equally difficult." Wiping away tears, Aya al-Skafi is looking at photos of her daughter, Jenan, in a shelter in Gaza City. The baby was born during the ceasefire earlier this year and initially she was in good health. But as food became scarce, her mother struggled to breastfeed. "After the crossings were closed, everything was closed on us," Aya says. "There was no flour, no clean water, no food like fruits and greens that you need to be healthy. When my condition worsened, Jenan's condition worsened even more." Jenan was diagnosed with malnutrition and dehydration and had problems with digestion. Doctors could not find her the special formula that she needed. "I was torn into a thousand pieces to the extent that I wanted to scream to the whole world, saying: 'Save my daughter from death, save her!'" Aya recalls. "I begged for help but only God, Lord of the World answered. Only God saved her from the cruelty of this world." Jenan died last month - she was four months old. Many mothers are struggling to breastfeed because of their own poor health but a Scotland-based organisation, the Gaza Infant Nutrition Alliance, has been training local medics to give more support. Nurse Sandra Killen, who is also a lactation specialist, works with them. "We absolutely recommend breastfeeding, even when mothers are malnourished unless they are acutely malnourished," she says. "Quite often mothers who have been given formula, they become dependent on it, their milk supply decreases then they don't have access to formula, or they don't have clean water." Now back home in the US, Sandra recounts some distressing cases that she encountered in Khan Younis and at the al-Aqsa Martyrs' Hospital in the central town of Deir al-Balah. A first-time mother had visited the hospital ahead of giving birth, but Israeli air strikes meant she ended up delivering her baby alone with her husband in their tent camp. For five days, she had difficulties getting her newborn to breastfeed. When it was finally safe to travel to the hospital, it was too late to save her baby. Another woman and her infant survived a tank shelling near her home, but she had shrapnel in her chest, part of which severed her milk duct. She needed expert advice on how to continue feeding. A mother of four was responding well to help feeding her premature newborn but then her tent was bombed. Her husband was killed and, a few hours later, they received an Israeli military evacuation order. The woman fainted as she fled with her children and was unable to breastfeed for three days. In her case, fortunately, they managed to find baby formula. "There is story, upon story, upon story," says Sandra. "Overall, we're experiencing a huge, huge increase in desperation, in hopelessness and suicidal ideation." Big families are the norm in Gaza, but in displaced people's camps, many women do not have the usual support from relatives and friends as they go through their pregnancy and then their struggle with newborns. As well as working in Gaza twice in the past year, Sandra has been giving advice to women remotely. She became close to a pharmacist, Jomana Arafa, during her high-risk pregnancy with twins. "I gave birth yesterday, Sandra, with a C-section and, thank God, my babies and I are in a good condition and health," Jomana says in a voice-message in English which she sent with photographs last August. She had named her baby boy Asser and the girl Aysal. But the joy for Jomana and her family was to be horribly short-lived. Three days later, her husband, Mohamed Abul-Qomasan, was getting the babies' birth certificates when he got news that his wife, their newborns and his mother-in-law had been killed in an Israeli missile strike at their shelter in Deir al-Balah. Journalists at the al-Aqsa Martyrs' Hospital filmed Mohamed as he collapsed in the courtyard. At the time the Israeli military said it did not have knowledge of the incident, adding that it targeted "only military objectives", taking steps to minimise harm to civilians. For Sandra, the death of Jomana, her mother and new babies was "devastating beyond devastating, heartbreaking beyond heartbreaking". "I still think about it, and I sob," she says. In Gaza, for most women, pregnancy and childbirth were once a time of eager anticipation and excitement but now they are times of heightened stress and fear. Rather than representing the hope of new life, babies have come to epitomise the struggle to survive.
Newsweek
6 days ago
- Entertainment
- Newsweek
Woman Baffled To Find Huge Hole in the Her Wall, Pet Cam Reveals Everything
Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources. Newsweek AI is in beta. Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content. A dog owner came home to discover a hole in the wall, and she couldn't believe what the pet camera revealed had happened. The pet camera showed a view of TikTok user @redneckstephy's living room where her two dogs were playing. The large dogs jumped and barked all across the room. The Rottweiler, Malak, decided the best method for their play-fighting would be to get a running start. However, it didn't end as he expected. In the May 23 TikTok video, Malak went full speed ahead. Unable to stop himself, he slammed into the wall behind the front door. As he went back to the other dog, a giant hole revealed itself. The two dogs paused playtime. They knew they messed up. They both looked at the hole in the wall, wondering how they were going to explain what happened, just like children would've done if it happened to them. Malak then ran back to the hole, inspecting the newest wall addition. He returned to the other dog. They appeared to be strategizing their excuse. At the end of the clip, Malak sprinted out of the room. He wanted to appear innocent in case an owner returned home. Meanwhile, the other dog stayed frozen. Newsweek reached out to @redneckstephy via TikTok for additional information. The owner shared in a follow-up video that her husband was home when this incident occurred. He happened to step outside to take the trash out. It took him about half an hour or longer until he realized the hole. While she explained what happened, Malak looked at her with an innocent face. He needed to let her know it was an accident and he did not mean to cause destruction. TikTok Reacts The TikTok video amassed over 8.6 million views and 1.3 million likes as of Wednesday. People couldn't stop laughing at the dogs' reaction, especially knowing that they "ruined the mood immediately." "Not the other one staying back and looking just to make sure he can't be blamed. He really said, 'Ohhhh mom's gonna be so mad at you!!'" commented a viewer. A second person added: "When someone says "they're just dogs, they don't know any better" OH REALLY." Another pointed out: "Him running away and coming back to see if it's still there." Screenshot from a May 23 TikTok video of two large dogs looking at the hole in the wall after the Rottweiler accidentally ran into the wall and caused it. Screenshot from a May 23 TikTok video of two large dogs looking at the hole in the wall after the Rottweiler accidentally ran into the wall and caused it. @redneckstephy/TikTok Do you have funny and adorable videos or pictures of your pet you want to share? Send them to life@ with some details about your best friend, and they could appear in our Pet of the Week lineup.
Winnipeg Free Press
08-05-2025
- Climate
- Winnipeg Free Press
Province cancels burn permits, bans back-country travel in wildfire-threatened areas
All provincial burn permits in the eastern and Interlake regions of Manitoba have been cancelled and a complete ban of motorized back-country travel in affected areas will go into effect Friday as wildfires persist. The restricted area is from Provincial Road 302 to Provincial Trunk Highway 12 to PR 317 to PTH 59 and PR 319, east to the Ontario border, and from the U.S. border north to Lake Winnipeg and the Winnipeg River. Restricted provincial parks include Whiteshell, Spruce Woods, Beaudry, St. Ambroise Beach, Stephenfield, Birds Hill, Lake St. Andrews and Lake St. George. A travel restriction map can be found on the provincial government's website. Motorized back-country travel, including ATVs and off-road vehicles, will be banned at all times. Any back-country travel to access remote residences through forestry roads, private roads or trails will require a travel permit. Anyone looking for a permit should contact their local Natural Resources and Indigenous Futures office. CHRIS GAREAU / THE CARILLON FILES Motorized back-country travel, including ATVs, will be banned at all times. The Manitoba Wildfire Service said Thursday that any provincial burn permits under the Wildfires Act that have already been issued in the region are cancelled and no new permits will be issued until the fires improve. Fines for disobeying the bans can result in fines up to $100,000. No burning permits will be issued for areas bordering communities where restrictions are already in place. Those wondering if their municipality is under a burning restriction should check with their local municipal office. Winnipeg Jets Game Days On Winnipeg Jets game days, hockey writers Mike McIntyre and Ken Wiebe send news, notes and quotes from the morning skate, as well as injury updates and lineup decisions. Arrives a few hours prior to puck drop. Up-to-date information on the wildfires, changes to restrictions and other information can be found online or on X (formerly Twitter). To report a wildfire, call 911 toll-free at 1-800-782-0076. Malak AbasReporter Malak Abas is a city reporter at the Free Press. Born and raised in Winnipeg's North End, she led the campus paper at the University of Manitoba before joining the Free Press in 2020. Read more about Malak. Every piece of reporting Malak produces is reviewed by an editing team before it is posted online or published in print — part of the Free Press's tradition, since 1872, of producing reliable independent journalism. Read more about Free Press's history and mandate, and learn how our newsroom operates. Our newsroom depends on a growing audience of readers to power our journalism. If you are not a paid reader, please consider becoming a subscriber. Our newsroom depends on its audience of readers to power our journalism. Thank you for your support.
Al Jazeera
23-03-2025
- General
- Al Jazeera
As children, we dreamed of our futures. Then an Israeli bullet took Malak's
Malak was like a sister to me. We were nine years old when we met at the Hamama School for Girls in the Sheikh Radwan neighbourhood of Gaza City. It was 2019 and Malak's family had just moved into an apartment three buildings away from mine. When she joined the school, I introduced myself, and from that day onwards, we would walk to and from school together every day. Back then, Sheikh Radwan seemed like our entire world. We had beautiful buildings and shops where we'd buy sweets. Families knew each other. Children played together. We knew all our neighbours and called the adults among them aunts and uncles. At first, I thought Malak blushed easily because she was new to our school. But as time passed, I understood this was part of who she was. Malak was shy and quiet, gentle and caring. Her name means 'angel'. It suited her. She cared about our classmates and whenever one of them was upset, Malak would comfort them. I often saw her helping other children with their homework. I was closer to Malak than to the other girls at school because we both liked the same subjects: maths, physics and music. I have a passion for physics, while she excelled at maths. We both played the piano. I specialised in classical music, while she loved the traditional music of Palestine. Sometimes, we played music out of tune. I remember once joking that she should stick to her dream of becoming a nurse rather than a professional musician. She laughed and agreed with me. We often made each other laugh. But behind Malak's smile, there was a sadness as if she were carrying a burden, a sorrow she kept to herself. One day in September 2023 we were sitting in the schoolyard, as we often did in breaks between classes, talking about our dreams for the future. We had just finished a maths test. The school day hadn't ended, but I could see that Malak wanted to go home. She was holding back tears. 'Why this sadness, Malak?' I asked her. She looked first at the sky and then to me and replied. 'My brother Khaled was born with a congenital heart defect. He's just one year older than me, and he's very sick.' I had visited Malak's home many times, and I knew that her brother was weak and often ill. But I didn't know how serious his illness was. When she told me that he might die, I put my hand on her shoulder. 'Who knows, Malak?' I said. 'Maybe we will leave this world before he does. Death does not care about age or illness.' I never imagined that my fleeting words would soon become a brutal truth. That day in the schoolyard, we spoke for hours. Malak talked about becoming a nurse and returning to Ramla, her ancestral home, from where her family had been displaced during the Nakba. She told me she wanted to care for sick people, especially children. I thought that she would make a perfect nurse because of her kind nature. When the war began, we each sought safety with our families and lost contact. I was displaced with my family more than 12 times. We were forced to leave our home in Gaza City and fled to other places twice in the same city. Then to Khan Younis, Deir el-Balah, Bureij refugee camp, al-Mawasi, and now Rafah, from where I write these words. Throughout these displacements, I tried to reach Malak, but I could never get through. Both her and her mother's phones were out of service. Our school was turned into a shelter for displaced people before it was destroyed by Israeli air raids on August 3, 2024. Even after this terrible news, I could not reach Malak. After more than a year of being unable to contact my friend, one morning in January 2025, while in our shelter in Rafah, I received a call from an unknown number. I was overjoyed when I heard Malak's voice. She was happy and excited to speak to me, but she sounded exhausted. I asked her how she and her family were and about her brother Khaled, remembering he needed medication. She told me they were living in a tent in the al-Mawasi area of Rafah, just a few kilometres from where my family was sheltering. Malak was eager to talk. She shared how her family had been repeatedly displaced across Gaza. Our conversation also took us back to the good days in Sheikh Radwan – to our homes, our school and everything we used to do before the war. Before ending the call, I promised to visit and bring Malak and her family to our shelter. I thought it would be safer for them to be in the same shelter as ours because our building is made of stone whereas Malak was living in a tent. Two days later, on January 8, I made plans with my mother to visit Malak. I called her to confirm. Malak's younger sister Farah answered, crying bitterly. 'Malak is gone,' she sobbed. 'She was martyred at dawn by a bullet while she was sleeping in our tent.' I couldn't hear. Or maybe I didn't want to believe what Farah was saying. My heart ached beyond words. I hung up the phone, feeling choked by my tears. I turned to my mother. 'Malak is gone.' The next day, my mother and I went to visit Malak's family to offer our condolences. We found their tent torn apart by bullet holes. But no one was there. Their neighbours, who were also in tents, told us that Khaled had passed away that morning. His illness had worsened without access to medicine, and grief over his sister's death had broken his spirit. The family had gone to bury him. I remembered my words from our schoolyard conversation. I never imagined Malak could die and that Khaled would follow her so soon after. They were buried side by side. Even in death, Khaled would not be parted from her. Who fired that lethal bullet at Malak? Why did they kill her? Was she a threat to the soldiers while she slept? Did they fear her dreams of returning to Ramla? Farewell, my dear friend. I will never forget you. I will plant an olive tree in your name, and I will bring those who remain from your family to be with us and care for them as you would have done.
Khaleej Times
18-03-2025
- General
- Khaleej Times
From day-old babies to children: How Sharjah has been helping Gaza's orphans
Baby Malak was just a few days old when she was found wrapped in a cloth, hanging from a tree in October 2023 in Gaza with no sign of her parents or family. Today, she has been adopted by a nurse and is living healthily in the city. Thousands of children in Gaza, including baby Malak, are benefitting from the work done by Sharjah's The Big Heart Foundation (TBHF). TBHF has partnered with Palestine-based Taawon (Welfare Association) to launch a campaign titled 'For Gaza' which aims to provide long-term care and essential services for over 20,000 orphaned children in the city. On Monday, the foundation held an event for philanthropists and community members to spread awareness about the campaign and invite them to donate for a good cause. Speaking to Khaleej Times on the sidelines of the event, Dr Tareq Emtairah, Director General of Taawon, explained that they were looking for long-term commitments from their donors. 'Any partner that joins us, ideally would sponsor a kid over five or ten years,' he said. 'This is so that we can create a sustainable support for these kids. If you take care of a kid for five years and abandon it later on, it is very dangerous. That's why we are very careful to make sure that we campaign for enough funding to support the children until they are 18 years." This came as Israeli strikes on various locations killed at least 300 people across the Gaza Strip on Tuesday, ending a weeks-long standoff over extending the ceasefire that halted fighting in January. Impact TBHF has been collaborating with Taawon since 2013 to help those in need in Palestine and has completed 11 projects, which has impact over one million people. Established in 1983, Taawon is one of the largest developmental organisations in Palestine. According to Dr Tareq, the association has managed to collect the details of more than 20,000 of the 35,000 orphaned children in Gaza. 'We have verified and registered them in our system,' he said. 'Over half of them are less than two years old and we consider them the most vulnerable. Our priority in the case of orphaned children is to find relatives or extended family members to raise them. We try to encourage local adoptions because we want the children of Gaza to stay there so that they can rebuild the city.' The campaign launched by Sheikha Jawaher bint Mohammed Al Qasimi, seeks to secure sustainable aid for over 2,000 children in the form of education, healthcare, psychological support, food, and shelter. Dr Tareq added that it cost $170 (approximately Dh625) to sponsor a child for a month in Gaza. 'The vocational training and education will cost about $69,' he said. 'Food and clothing costs about $50 and healthcare costs $30. The remaining goes into their mental and social care.' Art exhibition An art exhibition held on the sidelines of the event showed different parts of Gaza. Some painted glimmers of hope while others depicted the horrors of the ongoing war. Ranging from Dh2,500 to Dh35,000, the paintings were being sold to raise money for the campaign. Palestinian artist Rihab Saidam's piece titled the 'Mother of the Martyr' showed a mother carrying her dead child wrapped in a keffiyeh. Another one of her painting captured the pain of a sister kissing the hands of her baby brother who had been killed in the war. 'I have been living in the UAE for the last 45 years,' she said. 'I have never seen my homeland and I don't know if I will ever see it. I have family back home in Gaza. The only thing I can do is to keep talking, raise awareness and hope that my paintings sell so I can donate the money to help the children.'
