By: Reem Al-Suwaissi
RAMALLAH, April 13, 2026 (WAFA) – A Palestinian man in the Gaza Strip said he never imagined losing his unborn child due to displacement, not to bullets or shelling by the occupation. The tent he had been sheltering in for nearly a year collapsed on him and his pregnant wife during strong winds.
Mohammed al-Daya, 36, displaced in the Qatari-funded Al-Ataa camp on Salah al-Din Street at the entrance to al-Bureij refugee camp in the central Gaza Strip, is currently waiting at Nasser Hospital in Khan Younis for updates on his wife’s condition. His wife, Marleen Emad, 30, remains in a coma in the intensive care unit, unaware that their seven-month-old fetus has died.
Al-Daya recounted what happened, saying that the strong winds during the recent storm caused the tent to collapse, and one of its metal bars fell on his pregnant wife's abdomen, injuring her.
He added that he initially transferred her to Al-Awda Hospital in the central Gaza Strip, where he was told her condition was stable. However, her health quickly deteriorated after returned to the camp. She lost consciousness and was transferred with difficulty to Nasser Hospital in Khan Younis, where medical examinations confirmed the death of the fetus and revealed severe internal bleeding threatening her life.
He continued that his wife remains in a coma in the intensive care unit, in critical condition, while doctors are unable to deliver her baby until her condition stabilizes.
He expressed deep concern that the loss of his baby was a consequence of living in in displacement camps, expressing his fear of losing his wife at any moment, given the seriousness of her condition.
The family had been displaced seven times before settling in Al-Ataa camp, after their house in eastern Al-Bureij camp was completely destroyed.
This situation highlighted the dire conditions faced by displaced Palestinians across Gaza, where about 1.5 million displaced people live in fragile tents or temporary shelters, amid reports saying that about 125,000 out of 135,000 tents have collapsed, making most of them uninhabitable and exposing their residents to heightened risks, especially during winter weather.
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