ALCI Statement on the Humanitarian Crisis in Gaza

 The Association of Lactation Consultants in Ireland (ALCI) stands in solidarity with all civilians affected by the escalating Genocide and humanitarian catastrophe in Gaza. We are gravely concerned about the devastating toll this conflict is taking on the most vulnerable: pregnant women, breastfeeding mothers, newborns, and young children—those least able to survive the horrors of conflict, displacement, and the collapse of basic infrastructure.

According to the World Health Organization (WHO), Gaza’s health system is on the brink of total collapse. Women are being forced to give birth without medical support, in overcrowded shelters or under dangerous conditions. Many babies are born into environments with no clean water, no safe place to rest, and no access to basic nutrition or medical care.

UNICEF has warned of catastrophic rates of malnutrition and dehydration among children, including the imminent risk of death by starvation for over 14,000 infants. In this context, breastfeeding becomes not only a maternal act but a life-saving intervention.

In emergencies, breastfeeding is the safest, most reliable and most nutritious food source for infants under six months. Breast Milk is always the right temperature, requires no preparation, and is available even in the most resource-limited settings—where clean water and hygiene are scarce. It continues to offer critical protection beyond six months of age, as infants begin complementary feeding up to 2 years and beyond.

Breast Milk contains vital antibodies and immunological factors that protect infants from deadly infections such as diarrhoea and pneumonia—diseases that surge in crises where sanitation, healthcare, and safe feeding alternatives are compromised.

Yet, in Gaza, breastfeeding is being severely undermined by prolonged trauma, displacement, hunger, and psychological distress. Parents need urgent and sustained support to continue breastfeeding. With the right care—privacy, counselling, safe spaces, protection from violence, and access to food and fluids—virtually all mothers can successfully breastfeed, even under the harshest conditions.

Lactating mothers have increased nutritional needs, and their well-being must be prioritised in all humanitarian responses. Supporting parents is supporting babies.

As lactation consultants and maternal-child health advocates, we call on world leaders, humanitarian agencies, and policy-makers to take immediate action. We urge you to:

   Ensure the immediate, free, and safe passage of humanitarian aid, including medical teams, midwives, birth workers, lactation consultants, and essential supplies into all areas of Gaza.

   Protect all civilians, especially vulnerable populations such as mothers, infants, and children, in accordance with international humanitarian law.

   Provide targeted support for breastfeeding and maternal nutrition, including the establishment of "mother and baby tents," mental health services, breastfeeding counselling, and additional food rations and fluids for lactating women.

   Include breastfeeding protection and promotion in all emergency planning, funding, and response frameworks, both in Gaza and globally.

Support and fund the long-term rebuilding of Palestine, with a focus on restoring maternal and child health services, lactation support networks, water and sanitation systems, and access to culturally appropriate community-based care.

 Demand and work toward a permanent ceasefire, which is the only path to halting the cycle of death, trauma, and displacement.

We echo the urgent calls of WHO, UNICEF, and humanitarian organisations around the world: this is a human rights emergency without precedent.

Every mother deserves the right to give birth in safety.
Every baby has the right to survive and thrive.
Breastfeeding in emergencies saves lives—protecting it must be a priority.

We call on the international community to act now—with urgency, compassion, and commitment—to protect life, uphold human dignity, and invest in long-term peace and recovery for the people of Palestine.