LONDON: As wars rage, mothers bear a disproportionate share of the suffering, navigating grief, hunger and fear while trying to shield their children from violence that has fractured families and communities.
From the Gaza Strip to Syria’s coastal regions, conflicts differ in origins and combatants but share a common human cost: the toll on women raising children amid bombardment, displacement and the collapse of basic services.
“When we speak of conflict, we must remember that violence does not stop at the battlefield,” said Ayesha Ahmed, an associate professor at City St George’s, University of London. “It reaches into homes where food runs out and into tents where babies sleep without warmth or nourishment.”
“The grief of mothers is not collateral damage,” she told Arab News. “It is the epicenter of war’s enduring echo.”
A woman reacts as mourners attend the funeral of Palestinians who were killed, according to medics, in Israeli fire, at Al-Shifa hospital, in Gaza City, June 12, 2025. (REUTERS/Mahmoud Issa)
