The article written by Nisreen Malik in The Guardian today focused on what she described as “the war on women in Gaza,” questioning whether the West would really ignore it because they are not like us.
The writer pointed out that sometimes the scale of a catastrophe can be so huge that it obscures its details. In addition to the number of casualties and displaced persons in Gaza, the conflict has been most brutal on women and girls.
There are approximately 50,000 pregnant women in Gaza, with 40% of pregnancies classified as high-risk. The infrastructure for healthcare is destroyed, and there are no doctors, midwives, or nurses to support women during childbirth. There are no painkillers, anesthesia, or sterilization materials available when women give birth. Children are born on the ground, with the umbilical cord cut with any sharp tool available, and any tin can filled with hot water to keep the newborn warm. Cesarean operations, even with medication, are performed without any anesthesia, handwashing, or sterilization, and no antibiotics are available for resulting infections.
The writer detailed the other forms of suffering faced by women in Gaza during the ordeal of forced displacement, hunger, and thirst, and the impact on newborns. She cited that in December of last year, one-month-old babies born in refugee camps had never been bathed. Many aspects of motherhood, previously routine, have now become a matter of life and death.
In contrast, the writer deplored the West’s indifference to what is happening to women in Gaza, while the predominant feminist discourse in recent weeks has revolved around Barbie movie nominations for the Oscars. She explained that this is simply human nature, where our contexts and cultures dictate our immediate priorities.
She added that there are other motives, uncomfortable to ponder but hard to ignore, which detract from focusing on the inhumane situation, especially when it comes to women and girls in Gaza.
The writer concluded that Gaza’s vote for Hamas eighteen years ago was massive proof that there is a collective responsibility for the actions of the movement, and that there are no innocents. The argument could simply be that they are not like us, those who initiated it.
The writer concluded her article by stating that this argument is a race to the bottom of humanity, granting a license to smear an entire people for the worst of crimes and abdicating the responsibility of critical and emotional reflection on the cultures and politics shaped by years of occupation, crisis, and blockade.
