A mother’s touch helps premature babies grow strong in Gaza

What the report says

At Nasser Medical Complex in Khan Younis, southern Gaza, a new kangaroo mother care pilot is being used to support premature and low-birthweight newborns in the hospital’s neonatal units. Al Jazeera reports that the programme, launched with support from the World Health Organization, UNICEF and UNFPA, is being introduced gradually for medically stable babies who can benefit from prolonged skin-to-skin contact and breastfeeding alongside medical monitoring.

The article centers on Rania Fadel, who gave birth to twins on September 25. One baby, Ilyas, was born prematurely at 1.4 kilogrammes and spent nearly two weeks in intensive care before moving to neonatal care, where his mother was able to hold him against her bare chest. Hospital staff said the method can help babies regulate temperature, gain weight and strengthen the mother-child bond, though they stressed it does not replace incubator care or respiratory support when those are needed.

The report places the programme in the wider context of Gaza’s strained health system. Al Jazeera says neonatal services have been hit by war damage, equipment shortages and overcrowding, reducing the number of usable incubators sharply since 2023. It also notes that pregnancy and birth have become more difficult amid displacement, food shortages and poor nutrition, factors linked by medical staff to higher rates of premature and underweight babies.

Another mother, Linda Abu Nasira, is also shown using kangaroo care for her newborn daughter while living in a tent in al-Mawasi, underscoring how the practice is being used amid severe hardship.