Whangārei midwife who worked in Gaza calls for global action to end war

A Whangārei midwife who worked in war-ravaged Gaza is calling for immediate global action against the fighting, which she calls genocide.

Shelley Harris-Studdart spent six weeks in Gaza earlier this year, working with humanitarian organisation Médecins Sans Frontières / Doctors Without Borders (MSF).

She worked alongside Palestinian midwives and the Palestinian Ministry of Health in Gaza to deliver essential maternal healthcare in one of the world’s most devastated regions.

Harris-Studdart arrived in Khan Yunis in February, during a temporary ceasefire.

But that fragile relief was short-lived with a total Israeli blockade beginning on March 2, cutting off the delivery of essential aid including water, fuel, food and medicine.

On March 18, bombing resumed with increased intensity and Gaza’s humanitarian crisis spiralled, once again, into catastrophe, she said.

Since leaving in March, Harris-Studdart has remained in touch with colleagues still on the ground.

“They are now exhausted, constantly terrified and barely surviving on one meal per day.

“These people, my Palestinian colleagues and now friends, are among the many dedicated health professionals who keep coming to work despite their own families being at risk and under fire.”

MSF, and other international organisations including the UN and Amnesty International, have labelled the situation in Gaza a “genocide”, calling for immediate global action.

Bullet-proof vests and helmets aren't normal garb for midwives, but were essential for Shelley Harris-Studdart when she worked in Gaza.

Harris-Studdart echoed their concerns and called for Kiwis to speak up.

“As individuals and communities, with a democratic government, we need to show-up, speak-up and do everything we can to end this genocide.”

New Zealand has joined 25 Western countries calling for an immediate end to the war in Gaza, saying that suffering there had “reached new depths”.

The signatories urged for a negotiated ceasefire, the release of hostages held by Palestinian militants and the free flow of much-needed aid.

Foreign Minister Winston Peters said New Zealand needed to keep putting the pressure on, to end the war now.

In a speech to the UN in April, Peters called the war in Gaza “an utter catastrophe” and accused the Security Council of failing in its responsibility.

During her time in Gaza, Harris-Studdart worked at Nasser Hospital, where nearly 1000 babies were born each month, despite the facility facing direct attacks and critical shortages.

Whangārei midwife Shelley Harris-Studdart chats with a senior midwife of the delivery unit in Gaza's Nasser Hospital.

She drew inspiration from her team who provided postnatal care, breastfeeding support and trauma counselling in three community clinics.

Amid the loss and suffering, Harris-Studdart said she found deep human connection.

“One woman and her newborn baby stand out in my memory: This was the woman’s fourth baby and her only living child.

“An airstrike had destroyed her home and, of the four generations living there, only herself and her husband survived.

“Now, her healthy, pink, newborn lay in her arms covered in her tears.”

Today, Nasser is one of only two functioning hospitals south of the Netzarim Corridor, which splits Gaza in half.

Staff continue treating mass casualties and delivering babies, even as supplies are critically low and threats persist, she said.

Harris-Studdart was able to witness how a ceasefire allowed human resilience to shine through, among a landscape reduced to dust and shattered concrete.

“Everywhere I looked, there was grey — the tents, the rubble — but in the markets, I saw colour again,” she said.

“Fresh vegetables. Children flying kites. These colours and basic essential commodities, [were] the result of the ceasefire and 600 trucks per day entering Gaza.”

Denise Piper is a news reporter for the Northern Advocate, focusing on health and business. She has more than 20 years in journalism and is passionate about covering stories that make a difference.