Noura, a 26-year-old Palestinian woman, had been undergoing IVF treatment for years. She became pregnant in July 2023 and stored two more embryos at Al-Basma Fertility Centre in Gaza City, hoping to have more children in the future. However, her dreams were shattered when the clinic was shelled in December 2023, destroying nearly 4,000 frozen embryos and over 1,000 samples of sperm and eggs.
“My nerves are shattered,” Noura says, explaining that she has been “left with nothing”. She and her husband Mohamed had to repeatedly flee during the conflict, unable to access the food, vitamins, and medication she needed for a healthy pregnancy. Tragically, Noura suffered a severe hemorrhage, and their twins were born prematurely, with one stillborn and the other dying a few hours after birth.
The Destruction of Al-Basma Fertility Centre
Dr. Baha Ghalayini, director of Al-Basma Fertility Centre, describes the shelling as a catastrophic event that destroyed the clinic’s embryology lab and liquid nitrogen tanks, preserving the embryos. “The two destroyed incubators – which cost over $10,000 – were filled with liquid nitrogen that preserved the samples,” he says. The centre stored embryos for patients being treated at other clinics as well as their own, and Dr. Ghalayini estimates that between 100 and 150 women lost what may have been their only chance at having children.
“I’m talking about 4,000 frozen embryos. These are not just numbers, they’re people’s dreams. People who waited years, went through painful treatments, and pinned their hopes on these tanks that were ultimately destroyed,” Dr. Ghalayini says. Many of these women cannot undergo the procedure again due to age, medical conditions, or previous treatments.
International Response and Accusations
The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) told the BBC they would be better able to respond if the “specific time of the strike” was provided, adding that they “operate according to international law and take precautions to minimize civilian harm”. However, the UN’s Independent International Commission of Inquiry on the Occupied Palestinian Territory accused Israel of “intentionally attacking and destroying the Basma IVF clinic” in a measure “intended to prevent births among Palestinians in Gaza”.
Impact on Palestinian Women
For women like Noura, Sara Khudari, and Islam Lubbad, the destruction of Al-Basma Fertility Centre has meant the loss of their frozen embryos and, potentially, their chance at motherhood. “I watched everything collapse,” Sara says, while Islam recalls how she miscarried due to the conflict and lack of stability. Dr. Ghalayini says all of Gaza’s nine fertility clinics have either been destroyed or are no longer able to operate, leaving many women with little chance of ever having a child.