‘I go dig mountains to feed my pikin'

For most parents wit small pikin, di choice on how to feed dem dey tough. But for di parents of 22,000 pikin dem wey dem born into di war for Gaza, choice na luxury. Many dey face daily battle to keep dia newborn pikin alive.

Amal get only two days of baby formula for mid-January wen she decide to go on one dangerous journey. At three months old, her pikin Mohamed no fit eat anytin else.

"I go dig di mountains to provide it," she text. "My pikin needs am."

She dey live for inside bush outside Khan Younis, her hometown na southern Gaza. Israeli forces dey expand dia operation for di area and dem don dey bomb all day and night.

She decide to search for formula go south, in Rafah. E go take just 20 minutes by car, but Israeli forces now dey active on di road.

"I dey on my way now to Rafah. I go try to find some. Inshallah, I go get some today," she tell me for voicenote, she dey fearful but determined.

E dey dangerous but she don dey run out of options. She leave her pikin, Mohamed, and im older broda Noah for house wit her family. Hours later anoda voicenote drop.

"Our car dey attacked by Israeli tanks on our way to Rafah, now I don trap for Rafah," she tok, panicking. "I no know if I go get di chance to see my pikin again."

One friend wey dey inside car later explain wetin happun. Dem don witness three tanks, one of wey dem fire for dia direction, im tok, wit di shot landing near di car. Di driver reverse in panic. Dem escape.

For hours Amal dey offline. Later for night message drop. She don go back to Khan Younis - but witout baby formula.

On di morning of 7 October Amal draw her 18-month-old pikin Noah close for bed wen dem wake up to di sound of barrage wey dey blast through di walls of dia house.

Amal grab Noah and run from room to room. "I no know wia to go becos e surround us, e dey evri wia," she tok.

Hamas don launched dia attack on Israel, firing thousands of rockets ova di border. Israeli jet fighters launch retaliatory attacks soon afta. But for Khan Younis for southern Gaza, Amal no get idea of wetin dey happun. She dey fear well-well and eight months pregnant, she start to dey bleed heavily.

She bin wan go to hospital but her husband dey work for West Bank and she dey alone.

"I wait for di car for three hours at least," she tok. Na only one taxi driver fit carry her go far, she go need go out and wait for anoda taxi.

"Di streets dey full of pipo, dem dey fear. Dem no know wetin dem go do or wia to go," she tok. "We dey hear di bombing evri wia."

She still dey bleed. Wen Amal reach di hospital dem send am to Caesarean section immediately. She born Mohamed for 11am into di world of uncertainty.

Dem go to her parent house to recover. On di way, Amal carry nappies and baby formula, as well as medicine for Noah, wey get epilepsy.

"I bin think say di war no go last more dan one month," she tok.

As in di UK, only about half of women for Gaza dey breastfeed beyond six weeks. In many of di emergencies di UN dey respond to, di rate of breastfeeding dey much higher.

"As soon as di fight start we know say dis na challenge," Anu Nayaran tok, Unicef senior adviser on child nutrition in emergencies.

"If you no dey breastfeed your pikin, you dey in di middle of war, you go fit suddenly begin dey feed your baby," she tok. "You go dey rely on baby formula."

Amal breastfeed Mohamed for one month but she see say she no dey produce enof milk.

"I dey fear all di time. I no dey focus on good food for myself. So I no get milk for am," she tok. "But I try."

Wit di water system wey no dey work well, new mothers dey also struggle to produce milk becos dem no get water for body.

"Pipo dey get less dan two litres of water one day and e no dey always dey enof to drink, let alone wash," Madam Nayaran tok.

But no be enof baby formula dey enta into Gaza. Bifor di war Israel don restrict di number of commercial vehicles wey dey enta. And though di UN don send in formula, aid trucks also dey restricted.

Becos of di lack of clean water, Unicef dey send pre-mixed baby formula to Gaza. E dey safer but harder to transport in large quantities.

Three days into her recovery Amal don comot to her mama house. Dem go to anoda place nearby. To find baby formula na struggle but she dey search from shop to shop and she see am. Den three weeks later dem tell dem to comot again. And on 2 December yet again dem tell say dem go attack dia neighbourhood again.

Dem comot for night, two hours bifor dem bomb di place. "I no fit carry di milk and diapers wit me becos dem destroy di whole building to di ground."

Some of her family run enta bush outside of Khan Younis but Amal bin think say e dey dangerous so she carry her pikin go south of Rafah.

But wen I first get in touch wit her she don return to Khan Younis. I dey confuse, Israel dey expand dia ground offensive for di city and pipo dey run comot in dia thousands.

"Na horrible decision and e dey dangerous here," she tok.

She no fit find di tins she need for Rafah, she tok. Mohamed get dairy allergy; ordinary formula dey make am sick. She find one tub of non-dairy formula but e dey expensive.

At least in Khan Younis her family fit help her search - in di rubble.

"I send my brothers to find milk and diapers inside di collapse buildings," she text. "I fit lose one of them. But na di only choice we get."

E dey dangerous, fighting dey evri wia. Her brodas come back days afta - dem dey alive, but wit empty hands.

Den she make di dangerous, and almost disastrous, journey back to Rafah.

Towards di end of January, our communication no dey constant again. Fighting for Khan Younis dey intensifying everi day. Na three days bifor I hear from her.

"My boys dey OK but all pf us dey afraid becos di bombing no stop for di last two days, e no stop, na for day and night," she tok.

Di noise from di explosions dey difficult for Noah, as e dey make im seizures worse. Im epilepsy medications don finish.

Dem get small food and water. Amal dey boil am ontop fire to try make am clean. "E still dey dirty but I dey do my best," she tok.

About 23,000 pikin dem wey dem born since di beginning of dis war, according to estimates by di WHO - 190 babies each day. Gaza entire population dey face crisis levels of hunger but di risk dey especially bad or young pikin.

"Small pikin fit dey sick very fast," Anu Nayaran tok for Unicef. Dem get small stores of fat and muscle and dem fit quickly enta into acute malnutrition. And dem get long term consequences, including physical and cognitive impairment.

Amal don give up on finding formula for now. But Mohamed no fit go hungry, again. She don find anoda mother in di same area wey dey breastfeed am alongside wit her own pikin. Amal dey pay her wit some baby clothes and little money.

Dem camp on a patch of sand, in tents wey dem make from planks and rubber sheets, dem dey chop canned food and bread from donated flour if dem fit get am. Dem dey cook wit fire wood.

One evening Amal send me foto, di last foto of her she bin take bifor di war. She take am on di night of 6 October.

Noah lie down on di soft carpet, as im dey support imslf wit di big cushion, e dey watch cartoons on TV and e dey drink im milk from im bottle. Im dey dey kick im legs in di air under di soft glow of fairy lights on di living room wall.

Im sleep as im mama carry am for night inside world wey far from di dust, detty and constant drone of aeroplanes wey mark dia life now.

"As you dey see I no get much choices here," she tok. "So I dey try to do wetin dey possible. I just need to rescue my pikin from dis terrible war."