A serious crisis is unfolding in Gaza, where pregnant women and newborns face deadly risks due to starvation, a broken health system, and extreme stress, the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) stated. New data from Gaza’s health ministry shows a sharp drop in births and a rise in high-risk deliveries during the first half of 2025. These trends threaten the survival of an entire generation.
Births have fallen sharply—from 29,000 in the first half of 2022 to just 17,000 in the same period this year, a drop of over 40 percent in three years. At least 20 newborns died within a day of being born. A third of babies, about 5,560, arrived early, underweight, or needed intensive care. These numbers reflect how hunger and lack of basic supplies are crushing health services.
Laila Baker, UNFPA’s Regional Director for the Arab States, said, “The suffering of mothers and newborns in Gaza is heartbreaking. Every child deserves a safe start, but they are being denied that right, and an entire generation is at risk.” Most health centers are damaged or destroyed. Essential medicines are missing in 70 percent of cases, and half the medical equipment is broken, cutting newborn care by 70 percent.
Ambulance services are barely working, and many pregnant women can’t reach hospitals, making treatable problems fatal. Meanwhile, 170 trucks full of vital supplies—including maternity units, medicines, ultrasounds, and incubators—have been stuck at borders since March. UNFPA calls on Israel to let humanitarian aid into Gaza without delays.
Every day that aid is blocked means more avoidable deaths and needless suffering for vulnerable mothers and babies in Gaza.
