In Gaza, mothers endure hunger, grief and missing children on Mother’s Day

Displaced Palestinian women struggle to survive after losing children, husbands, and homes during Israel’s war on the enclave

In Gaza’s displacement camps, Mother’s Day arrives not with flowers or celebration, but with hunger, grief and the pain of mothers still searching for missing children. Inside worn-out tents scattered across Khan Younis in southern Gaza, Palestinian mothers spend the day mourning sons killed in Israeli attacks, waiting for news about detained or missing children and struggling to keep their families alive amid war, displacement and famine. As several countries, including Türkiye, mark Mother’s Day on Sunday, many mothers in Gaza say they are no longer searching for a dignified life but simply for safety, food and a chance to protect their children from death and repeated displacement. According to UN Women, more than 22,000 women and nearly 16,000 girls have been killed in Gaza since October 2023. Data from Gaza’s Government Media Office and the UN Population Fund show that more than 22,000 women have lost their husbands during the war, while around 55,000 pregnant and breastfeeding women face severe health risks amid the collapse of Gaza’s health care system and worsening malnutrition. More than 90% of Gaza’s population has also been displaced, many of them multiple times, according to UN and international relief agencies. ‘He is the air I breathe’ Inside a small tent that offers little protection from the heat or cold, displaced mother Widad al-Najjar recalls a long journey of displacement that began in the first days of the war after fleeing her hometown of Khuzaa east of Khan Younis. She told Anadolu that her family had been displaced more than six times while searching for safety. “We lost our homes, our relatives and everything we owned,” she said. “Nothing is left except memories.” But the deepest pain for the Palestinian mother is the disappearance of her only son, born after six daughters. Najjar said she lost contact with him during the first months of the war and has lived ever since between hope that he is still alive and fear that she may never see him again. “All I want is to know his fate,” she said. “Was he killed or taken prisoner? I just want an answer that can calm my heart.” “I cannot live without him. He is the air I breathe,” she added. “Without him, I have no life.” ‘Our hearts are broken’ In another displacement camp in Khan Younis, mother Huda al-Madani lives between grief over the killing of her son Ibrahim and constant fear for her other son Ahmad, who has remained in Israeli prisons for more than two years. Madani said Ibrahim was killed during Israel’s war on Gaza, leaving behind five children, while Ahmad has still not seen his young son, who was born after his detention and is now nearly three years old. “The child constantly asks about his father and wants to see him like other children do,” she said. “Our hearts are broken, and we wait for any news about him.” For many displaced mothers, suffering extends beyond loss and into the daily struggle for survival amid severe shortages of food, water and income. Umm Mahmoud Baraka, a widow and mother of four, said she has been left alone to provide for her family after her husband was killed. “I became both a mother and a father at the same time,” she told Anadolu. “We are trying to stay alive amid hunger, fear and the absence of the most basic necessities of life,” she added. Since the ceasefire came into effect, Israeli forces have killed around 850 Palestinians and injured 2,433 others through continued violations involving shelling and gunfire, according to Gaza's Health Ministry. The agreement was reached after two years of Israel's genocidal war on Gaza that began in October 2023, killing over 72,000 people, injuring more than 172,000, and causing widespread destruction that affected 90% of the civilian infrastructure.