5 thousand in vitro embryos destroyed in Gaza City: “The invisible price of war”

(Adnkronos) – In December a grenade hit, among other things, the largest fertility clinic in Gaza. The explosion blew the lids off five liquid nitrogen tanks stored in the embryology unit. The news was reported by Reuters, a news agency which was granted access to the clinic, or what remains of it, to view the damage and consequences of the explosion. The liquid from the embryos evaporated and inside the tanks, the temperature exceeded the required one, causing the total loss of the embryos and, therefore, potential future births canceled in a second. More than 5 thousand embryos and samples of sperm and unfertilized eggs have been lost. The incident occurred at the IVF Al Basma center in Gaza City and is one of the examples of the invisible price that the victims of war will pay. In December a shell hit, among other things, the largest fertility clinic in Gaza. The explosion blew the lids off five liquid nitrogen tanks stored in the embryology unit. The news was reported by Reuters, a news agency which was granted access to the clinic, or what remains of it, to view the damage and consequences of the explosion. The liquid from the embryos evaporated and inside the tanks, the temperature exceeded the required one, causing the total loss of the embryos and, therefore, potential future births canceled in a second. More than 5 thousand embryos and samples of sperm and unfertilized eggs have been lost. The incident occurred at the IVF Al Basma center in Gaza City and is one of the examples of the invisible price that the victims of war will pay. Demographics at risk? According to the Palestinian Bureau of Statistics, the area’s birth rate is 3.38 births per woman. It is a relatively high number if you consider the 1.2 Italians. Yet, infertility in Gaza City is on the rise as in the rest of the world. Hundreds of Palestinian couples, in fact, have turned to Bahaeldeen Ghalayini, a Cambridge-trained obstetrician and gynecologist who founded the clinic in 1997. “We know deeply what these 5,000 lives, or potential ones, gone up in smoke have meant for the parents, both for the future and for the past – stated Bahaeldeen Ghalayini -. My heart is split into a million pieces.” According to estimates, at least half of the couples who turned to the clinic saw their future possibility of having children vanished. Despite Gaza’s poverty rate, couples at risk of infertility pursue in vitro fertilization, some even selling “televisions and jewelry to pay taxes,” Ghalayini said. In December a shell hit, among other things, the largest fertility clinic in Gaza. The explosion blew the lids off five liquid nitrogen tanks stored in the embryology unit. The news was reported by Reuters, a news agency which was granted access to the clinic, or what remains of it, to view the damage and consequences of the explosion. The liquid from the embryos evaporated and inside the tanks, the temperature exceeded the required one, causing the total loss of the embryos and, therefore, potential future births canceled in a second. More than 5 thousand embryos and samples of sperm and unfertilized eggs have been lost. The incident occurred at the IVF Al Basma center in Gaza City and is one of the examples of the invisible price that the victims of war will pay. Demographics at risk? According to the Palestinian Bureau of Statistics, the area’s birth rate is 3.38 births per woman. It is a relatively high number if you consider the 1.2 Italians. Yet, infertility in Gaza City is on the rise as in the rest of the world. Hundreds of Palestinian couples, in fact, have turned to Bahaeldeen Ghalayini, a Cambridge-trained obstetrician and gynecologist who founded the clinic in 1997. “We know deeply what these 5,000 lives, or potential ones, gone up in smoke have meant for the parents, both for the future and for the past – stated Bahaeldeen Ghalayini -. My heart is split into a million pieces.” According to estimates, at least half of the couples who turned to the clinic saw their future possibility of having children vanished. Despite Gaza’s poverty rate, couples at risk of infertility pursue in vitro fertilization, some even selling “televisions and jewelry to pay taxes,” Ghalayini said. Thousands of potential lives destroyed Nine clinics in Gaza perform in vitro fertilization. The fertilized eggs, i.e. the embryos, are frozen until the optimal time for transfer into the woman’s uterus. Most of the frozen embryos in Gaza were stored in the Al Basma center. As Israeli attacks intensified, Mohammed Ajjour, Al Basma’s chief embryologist, became concerned about the levels of liquid nitrogen in the five tanks containing the samples. Refills were needed every month or so, to keep the temperature below 180 degrees in each tank, which operates independently of electricity. After the war began, Ajjour managed to secure a supply of liquid nitrogen, but with Israel cutting off electricity and fuel in Gaza, most suppliers also stopped distributing the liquid. -international/[email protected] (Web Info)