Israel’s war has devastated the enclave’s reproductive health system; advocates call it a genocidal measure.Gaza City – Maysera al-Kafarna, a Palestinian woman in Gaza, sorts through blue baby overalls brought for the child she was supposed to have.But her dreams of motherhood have been dashed by Israel’s genocidal war on Gaza, which ravaged the enclave’s healthcare system that saves lives, as well as the fertility centres that plan them.Recommended Stories list of 3 itemsend of listAfter years of trying, al-Kafarna and her husband turned to in-vitro fertilisation (IVF). Their embryos were frozen in a fertility centre, waiting for the war to end, but the clinic was attacked by Israel.“We had four viable embryos stored there in the first months of the war. We were shocked to learn they had been destroyed when the clinic was attacked,” al-Kafarna told Al Jazeera.“It was deeply painful. We felt like we had lost a part of ourselves. We were waiting for a chance to have our baby.”Medical officials in Gaza say Israel has destroyed nine out of 10 fertility clinics in the territory. In addition, embryos that remain are still in danger, despite the ceasefire, due to fuel shortages and a lack of liquid nitrogen to keep them at the required temperature.Rights advocates say Israel’s attacks on reproductive health in Gaza are a textbook implementation of genocidal policies, as defined by the United Nations.Last year, UN investigators concluded that Israeli attacks on fertility clinics and maternity wards were part of Israel’s push to destroy the Palestinian people.The 1948 UN Convention lists “imposing measures intended to prevent births within the group” as one of five acts it class …
