The IVF boom in Gaza: Kids are our everything
Fotografie di Daniela Sala
Testo di Eleonora Vio
12 Ott 2019
Articolo pubblicato su The Spiegel, TRT World, Trouw, De Morgen, Il Venerdì, Elle, Yo Dona, Choisir
Gaza City. Der Hangar ist voll mit Menschen, die Spannung ist spürbar. Mehr als 6000 Paare aus allen Ecken des Gazastreifens sind gekommen, nur hundert werden ausgewählt. Auf der einen Seite rauchen und lachen die Männer, auf der anderen sitzen die Frauen, eingehüllt in lange Gewänder. Endlich tritt ein Mann auf die Bühne, es wird still. Er nimmt kleine Zettel aus einer Schüssel und liest vor:
"Die nächsten Begünstigten der kostenlosen In-vitro-Befruchtung sind..."
Solche Veranstaltungen sind nicht selten in Gaza. Parteinahe Organisationen vergeben häufig Gratis-Befruchtungen. So auch das "Palestinian Center for Human Perseverance" (Fata), das von der Ehefrau eines ehemaligen Fatah-Führers geleitet wird.
Dahinter steckt politisches Kalkül. "Der einzige Weg, die Zustimmung der Bevölkerung zu bekommen, ist, den Menschen das zu geben, was sie sich am meisten wünschen," sagt Salah al-Rintissi, Direktor eines Krankenhauses und Sprecher des Gesundheitsministeriums. Und die Menschen wünschen sich: Kinder.
Der Gazastreifen ist eine sehr kinderreiche Gegend. Laut "CIA World Factbook" sind 44 Prozent der Bevölkerung jünger als 15 Jahre. Eine Frau bringt im Schnitt fast vier Kinder auf die Welt. Trotzdem sind künstliche Befruchtungen sehr gefragt. Denn: Kinderreichtum gilt als Statussymbol. Unfruchtbarkeit kann zu Isolation und sozialer Ächtung führen, Ehen können daran zerbrechen.
Die Situation im von der islamistischen Hamas beherrschten Gazastreifen verschlechtert sich laut Uno stetig. Die Wirtschaft ist am Boden, trinkbares Wasser und Strom sind knapp. Als Reaktion auf Angriffe militanter Palästinenser beschießt das israelische Militär Gaza immer wieder.
"Es mag gewagt wirken, unter den schlechten Bedingungen hier Kinder zu bekommen," sagt Omar, dessen Frau Warda zu denen gehört, die von "Fata" eine Befruchtung bezahlt bekommen. "Aber ein Leben ohne Kinder ist sinnlos."
Ende der 90er-Jahre öffnete die erste Klinik für In-vitro-Fertilisation in Gaza-Stadt, seitdem gibt es immer mehr Retortenkinder in Gaza. Aber: Die Prozedur ist teuer, zwischen 2000 und 3000 Dollar pro Versuch. Deswegen sind viele auf die Gratis-Befruchtungen der Organisationen wie Fata angewiesen. Die Erfolgschancen einer In-vitro-Fertilisation liegen bei unter 30 Prozent und sinken mit steigendem Alter der Frau.
Gaza City. Doctor Ghada Al Qrenawi is isolating a patient’s oocytes from a sample of her tissue at Al Helou clinic lab. Oocytes will be then fertilised by the patient’s husband sperm. 3 to 5 days later the fertilised egg (embryo) will be implanted in her uterus.
Gaza City. Lureen Bhar (30, center) in the waiting room at al Basma clinic. She is waiting the for the doctor to call her in the OR for her first IVF surgery, consisting in oocyte retrieval. The surgery is normally performed with conscious sedation and takes around 20 minutes. On her sides her aunt and her mother in law, behind her husband, Fadi Bhar (34). They are married since 2005 and have two daughters who were both born naturally. Afterwards they had problem conceiving and it turned out he had a fertility problem. They tried Ivf in 2016, but it did not work. They are now trying again and have asked for sex selection, as they want to have a boy.
Jabalya, East Gaza Strip. Omar Ahmed (33) at his sister’s flat with a group of children, mostly his nephews. He and his sisters and children live in the same building. Omar is married to Uarda (30) since 11 years, but they have no kids and live in a small room at the first floor. The fact they could not have children has often caused troubles between them and the family. The couple tried IVF for the first time few years ago but it did not work and they are still in debt. In 2018 they applied to get a free IVF treatment through Fata, an NGO funded by Jaleela Dahlan (the wife of former Fatah leader Mohammad Dahlan). They will start it in February.
Eine Frau sitzt im Warteraum der Al-Basma-Klinik in Gaza, während einer Verwandten von ihr Eizellen entnommen werden.
Gaza City. In the OR at Al Helou clinic, Mohammed Al Helou, (son of the clinic founder) is retrieving oocytes from Hala Hoda (24). The surgery is normally performed with conscious sedation and takes around 20 minutes. The whole IVF procedure costs around 2500$ to 3000$ and success rate is around 30%.
Gaza City. At Basma clinic for IVF, Mersal, a nurse (right) is injecting her weekly dose of hormones to Mervat Hinnawi (42), a pa- tient with no kids who is trying IVF for the first time. Hormones injections are part of the IVF treatment, and required during the ovarian stimulation phase. Mervat gets three injections at a time and, according to her, especially the injection on the shoulder is quite painful.
Gaza City. In the OR at Al Helou clinic Hala Hoda (24) is undergoing her first IVF procedure, consisting in oocyte retrieval. The surgery is performed by Mohammed Al Helou, son of the clinic founder. The surgery is normally performed with conscious seda- tion and takes around 20 minutes. Hala is married to Ahmed since 7 years and they no kids, due to his infertility. It is the first time they are trying IVF as before they never had enough money. The whole procedure costs around 2500$ to 3000$ and success rate is around 30%.
Gaza City, Al Helou clinic. Ahmed Hoda comforts his wife Hala (24), right after she returned from surgery, consisting in oocyte retrieval. The surgery is normally performed with conscious sedation and takes around 20 minutes. Hala and Ahmed are married since 7 years and they have no kids, due to his infertility. It is the first time they are trying IVF as before they never had enough money.
Jabalya, East Gaza Strip. Waffah Radwan (39) on the rooftop of her house calls the children to climb down the water tank. Waffah is the second wife of Issa Abu Louz. After his first wife got pregnant trough IVF, she decided to save money for one year and to pay for her own IVF. She had two twins: Sara (center) and Yara who are now 11 years old.
Gaza City. Two husbands in the waiting room at Basma clinic are praying, while they are waiting for their wives to return from IVF surgery. Fadi Bhar (34, center) is waiting for his wife Lureen to end the oocyte retrieval procedure. The surgery is normally perfor- med with conscious sedation and takes around 20 minutes. They are married since 2005 and have two daughter (Minna, 11, and Rimas, 9) who were both born naturally. Afterwards they had problem conceiving more kids and it turned out he had a fertility pro- blem.
Beit Lahia, Gaza Strip. Nidal Zayed (fisherman, 31) and his wife Maali (30, former nurse) at home with their 11-months-old kids. They tried having kids since the very beginning but it soon turned out that he is infertile. The couple tried IVF for the first time in 2013: it did not work and they could not afford to try again. In 2017 they applied to get an IVF treatment by Fata, an NGO funded by the Jaleela Dahlan (the wife of the former Fatah leader Mohammad Dahlan). Nidal and Maali succeeded getting treatment for free and this time the IVF was successful.
Gaza City. Alam caresses her belly at Al Helou clinic, while she waits for a visit with the gynaecologist. She is the second wife of Wa- lid al Nasassra (45). They are married since 9 years but had no kids, thus they decided to attempt (successfully) an IVF: she is now 6-months pregnant.
Gaza City, Shujeya. A monument from 2014 war, to celebrate the first drones ever built in Gaza. The monument is few hundreds meters from Fadi Bhar’s house, in an area that was easily bombed during the last three wars in the Gaza Strip. Fadi, who is infertile and is trying IVF with his wife Lureen, blames the chemicals contained in the missiles dropped in 2008, as the cause of his infertili- ty.
Gaza City. Lureen Bhar (30) on the way from her home to al Basma clinic for her first IVF surgery, consisting in oocyte retrieval. The surgery is normally performed with conscious sedation and takes around 20 minutes.