The genocide is still taking Gaza's mothers

"It now wants to take mine. On May 10, many flowers and many boxes of chocolates will be gifted to mothers in the United States, Canada and elsewhere. Greetings will be filled with joy and gratitude for maternal presence. Mothers will wear their finest clothes to spend time with their children, receive gifts and enjoy a beautiful day. It is no wonder most countries in the world have a Mother's Day, even if it is on different dates. Motherhood is a wondrous thing, and it needs to be celebrated."

"But there is one place on Earth where it brings heartache to many. In Gaza, where 22,000 women have been killed in two and a half years, many children dread this special day because it reminds them of intolerable pain. Too many mothers have died and many more are gravely ill. My own mother, Najat, who is just 46 years old, is suffering from cancer, which was diagnosed quite late. On March 21, when the Arab world celebrated their mothers, I did not say Happy Mother's Day to mine."

"Instead, I silently prayed that she would remain with us a little longer. I did not think about celebrations; I thought about my own fears of losing her. On Mother's Day, my mother did not wear her finest clothes and did not join us for a special meal, smiling and looking happy. She was frail and worn down. A week before Mother's Day, she had undergone her third round of chemotherapy and had spent days bedridden, unable to move and barely able to speak. No words in the world would have been enough to tell her how much she meant to me that day. But I stayed silent."

"My mother's case is not unique. The genocide has brought immense suffering to Gaza's mothers. And that pain, misery and death start from the moment women step into motherhood. Maternal death rates during childbirth increased threefold during the genocide. A recent report documented 220 Palestinian women dying while giving birth in Gaza between"

Many countries celebrate Mother’s Day with flowers, chocolates, and gratitude for maternal presence. Mothers often wear their finest clothes, spend time with children, and enjoy a special day. In Gaza, however, the day is linked to heartache because large numbers of women have been killed and many more are gravely ill. Children dread the occasion as it recalls intolerable pain. Maternal death rates during childbirth have risen sharply during the genocide, and many Palestinian women have died while giving birth. Personal experience reflects this reality, with a mother suffering late-diagnosed cancer and enduring chemotherapy, leaving celebrations replaced by fear, tears, and silence.

Read at www.aljazeera.com