Jerusalem –

Pregnant women and mothers with infants in the Gaza Strip are relying on health handbooks promoted by Japan for vital information on child care.

The maternal and child health handbooks provide crucial information at a time when medical facilities are closed and digital information on pregnancy, childbirth and parenting is often inaccessible due to the devastation wrought by the Israel-Hamas conflict.

Palestinian territories including Gaza began using Arabic-language versions of these handbooks in 2008, produced with support from the Japan International Cooperation Agency. The handbooks contain many illustrations, given the low literacy rate in the region.

JICA partially covers printing costs, and the handbooks are available at local public medical institutions, as well as facilities of the U.N. Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East, or UNRWA, and of nongovernmental organizations.

JICA's Palestine Office believes that almost all Palestinian mothers use these handbooks.

Heba Jibril, 30, gave birth to a baby boy last October after evacuating to an area near Gaza City in northern Gaza following the start of fighting in October 2023. She said in a telephone interview that she "relied primarily" on the handbook as "it was dangerous to go to the hospital" due to shelling.

She said the handbook helped her when she felt the onset of labor during her pregnancy. "The booklet tells you when to go to the hospital and when there is no need to go to the hospital," she said.

"Whenever I had a problem ... I felt reassured because everything was written step by step (in the handbook)," said Nora Hussein Khalil, 38, who gave birth to two girls during the conflict.

"I want to thank Japan for everything they provide for the women and children of Gaza, as the booklet has been a constant companion for every mother during the war," she added.

"There are many people who are evacuating with maternal and child health handbooks," said Mitsutaka Hoshi, chief representative of JICA's Palestine Office. "Even if (electronic) systems are not available due to the conflict, people can evacuate with paper media."