Born Into Conflict: The Gaza Twins Who Have Never Known Peace

Gaza:

Twin brothers Uday and Hamza Abu Odah have experienced nothing but conflict since their birth in Gaza on November 2, 2023, less than a month following the outbreak of hostilities on October 7, 2023.

Their entire existence has been shaped by Israel's military campaign, launched in retaliation for Hamas's deadly attack on southern Israel two years ago.

Despite Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu embracing President Trump's proposal for Gaza and Hamas's partial acceptance, uncertainty remains about when or if the fighting will cease.

Since their birth, the twins have endured homelessness, living in temporary shelters and on streets. They lost their father who was killed while seeking aid, and two of their brothers sustained injuries.

The infants have suffered persistent hunger, recurring illnesses, and frightening bombardments throughout their young lives.

Currently residing in a crowded beach encampment, they are surrounded by constant crying, vendor shouts, drone buzzing, and distant gunfire.

Their mother Iman dreams of providing them with peace, adequate food, stable housing, and education.

The boys already display signs of trauma and delayed development. Iman fears continued conflict will cause deeper psychological damage to them and an entire generation of Gazan children.

"We are afraid this war will never stop, that it has a beginning and no end," she expressed.

The family evacuated from their home near the frontlines when hostilities began, seeking refuge in an overcrowded school. Amid fuel shortages, Iman had to walk to the hospital when labor began. The maternity ward was filled with wounded patients.

Reuters photographer Mohammed Salem, working there that day, recalled: "The feeling among the doctors and the patients in the ward was strange, an emotional mix of joy and sorrow."

Iman delivered her twins shortly after arriving, each weighing 3 kg (6.6 lb).

Israel had suspended all supplies to Gaza at the war's beginning, creating shortages of essential baby items including formula and diapers. Limited aid resumed weeks later, but humanitarian organizations reported receiving only a fraction of what was needed.

"I'd go around the maternity ward to the women lying there and I'd say 'Which of you girls has extra milk?'," Iman recounted, searching for breastfeeding mothers who could share milk powder.

With hospital beds scarce, she had to walk nearly a kilometer back to the shelter with her newborns the same day.

The conflict began when Hamas fighters breached defenses on October 7, 2023, killing 1,200 people and taking approximately 250 hostages, according to Israeli figures.

By the twins' birth date on November 2, 2023, local health authorities reported over 9,000 Gazans had already perished.

Israel's military response, aimed at dismantling Hamas, has now persisted for two years, with Gazan health authorities reporting more than 67,000 Palestinian casualties.

Nearly all Gaza residents have been displaced from their homes, with entire cities devastated in what Israel's critics describe as indiscriminate attacks.

Israel maintains it strives to avoid civilian casualties but claims Hamas operates among civilian populations. Hamas denies these allegations.

During the twins' first winter, Israeli operations concentrated around Nasser Hospital near the family's shelter.

As the area came under siege, they fled through heavy bombardment to Mawasi, a designated safe zone on the beach.

Winter conditions in tents were harsh, with temperatures dropping close to freezing at night. Lacking proper sanitation and clean water, the children suffered from diarrhea.

Without diapers available, Iman fashioned makeshift ones from cloth strips attached to plastic bags, but the babies still developed skin irritations.

Food became increasingly scarce throughout 2024. The twins' father, Ayman, was killed by Israeli forces while purchasing vegetables on July 27, according to Iman.

"We were hungry. There was nothing at all. When he went outside, shrapnel hit his neck and he was martyred immediately. What was his fault? He was going to get food for his children," she lamented.

During a January truce, Iman and her children briefly returned to their damaged home. This respite proved short-lived when Israel reinstated a complete blockade and resumed military operations in March.

Forced to flee again without shelter, they lived on the street beside Nasser Hospital for several weeks before returning to Mawasi, only to discover their home had been destroyed.

Iman's inadequate nutrition prevented her from producing sufficient breast milk, and formula was unavailable. She resorted to feeding the twins bread soaked in herbal tea. Malnourished and frightened, they would mumble in their sleep or wake crying at night.

Although expected to begin walking by 18 months in May, only Uday managed a few steps while Hamza was still crawling. A doctor diagnosed calcium deficiency that delayed their development.

In August, the IPC (Integrated Food Security Phase Classification) declared famine conditions in Gaza, though Israel disputed these findings.

Now approaching their second birthday, the twins still struggle with walking and can only speak a few words including "mama" and their siblings' names.

Their 20-year-old sister Hala primarily cares for them—playing, helping them walk, feeding them, and putting them to sleep. Iman bathes them in the same bucket used for laundry, using water carried across the camp in heavy containers.

The camp environment is constantly noisy, with the unpleasant odors of sewage pits dug beside each tent and smoke from clay ovens where women bake flat bread.

These bread loaves, sometimes accompanied by vegetables, rice, pasta, or lentils, constitute the family's entire diet.

The boys find joy in visits to the beach with their mother or siblings, sitting in the waves.

"I wish for the twins... I wish for them a happy life during this war. God willing, God will stop the war and our life will become better," Iman said.