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In the Islamic tradition, tonight is the holiest night of the year: Laylat al-Qadr, or the Night of Power. Observing the Night of Power includes giving Sadaqah (voluntary charity). Tonight, Sadaqah will deliver a world of difference to women and girls in Gaza, where the health system is barely surviving and thousands of pregnant women have lost access to lifesaving health care. "Doctors are reporting that they no longer see normal-sized babies," reported UNFPA’s representative for Palestine, Dominic Allen. A midwife at one of the few remaining maternity hospitals gave a harrowing account: “There are no sheets, no baby towels. Without sheets, we have to deliver directly on the leather bed. One case after another. It’s miserable.” Motherhood can be a death sentence for pregnant women and newborns alike with famine looming. With each meal missed, the odds of a woman delivering an undernourished, undersized baby rise. New mothers are not getting enough food to nurse their newborns, who are often too weak to even cry. Doctors report that newborns are dying because they weigh too little. Against all odds, your gift — your Sadaqah — can help make motherhood safer in Gaza, the West Bank, and wherever care is needed most. Supporters like you have delivered lifesaving medicines and equipment that have supported more than half of the births in Gaza since conflict escalated six months ago. It’s more difficult than ever to reach suffering women and girls — but your gifts mean humanitarian aid can continue getting into Gaza.
The suffering must end and peace must prevail. We condemn the violence in Gaza, the West Bank, and Israel, including all sexual violence, and echo the UN Secretary-General’s call for a sustained humanitarian ceasefire and the immediate and unconditional release of all hostages by Hamas. Thank you for being there for women and girls. — USA for UNFPA |
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