CrossFireArabia
UNFPA, the UN sexual and reproductive health agency, is sounding the alarm on a profound humanitarian crisis unfolding in Gaza, where severe food deprivation, a shattered healthcare system, and immense psychological stress are leading to catastrophic birth outcomes for pregnant women and newborns, threatening the survival of an entire generation.
New data for the first six months of 2025, from the Ministry of Health, Gaza, paints a harrowing picture of the impacts of the dire conditions across the Strip on new life.
From January to June 2025:
- Births sharply declined: In the first half of 2025, 17,000 births were recorded, marking a significant decrease from the 29,000 births reported during the corresponding period in 2022. This represents a decline of over 41 percent in the birth rate within just three years.*
- Newborn deaths: At least 20 newborns died within 24 hours of birth.
- Newborns at risk: 33 percent of babies–5,560–were born prematurely, underweight or required admission to neonatal intensive care.
The statistics underscore the profound challenges faced by mothers and newborns in an environment where health care is being systematically targeted, with starvation and the deprivation of basic necessities driving these outcomes.
“The scale of suffering for new mothers and their babies in Gaza is beyond comprehension,” said Laila Baker, Regional Director for the Arab States at UNFPA. “Every mother and child deserves the right to a safe birth and a healthy start to life. What we are witnessing is a systematic denial of these fundamental rights, pushing an entire generation to the brink.”
Hospitals and health facilities that remain partially functional–the majority have been damaged or destroyed–are increasingly losing the capacity to keep mothers and babies alive. Seventy percent of essential medicines are out of stock, and half of all medical equipment is damaged, severely reducing access to critical newborn care by 70 percent.
The breakdown of referral systems, with ambulance services reduced to a bare minimum, and severe lack of transport mean pregnant women are unable to access antenatal care or reach hospitals for delivery, turning treatable complications into preventable deaths.
Despite the desperate needs, humanitarian aid remains severely obstructed. UNFPA alone has 170 trucks loaded with desperately needed supplies, including containerized maternity units, maternal health medicines, ultrasounds, and portable incubators, which have been stranded at borders since early March 2025.
UNFPA calls on Israel to allow unimpeded, sustained and demilitarized humanitarian aid into Gaza without delay, including fuel, medical supplies, and nutritional support. Every moment lost means more preventable loss of life and unimaginable suffering for the most vulnerable.
Corrections: The press release originally said two years which has now been revised to three years.
The press release originally stated that there had been 220 maternal deaths in Gaza in the first six months of 2025. The figure 220 refers to the total number of stillbirths in the first six months of 2025, not the number of mothers who died.
