In a harrowing development, UNRWA has reported that premature babies are now being born in Gaza with previously unseen genetic changes, a grim reflection of the extreme conditions faced by civilians under Israel’s ongoing siege. As hospitals collapse and medical supplies vanish, the cost of war is now etched into the very DNA of Gaza’s most vulnerable.

UNRWA confirmed on Sunday that its staff continue to operate in the Strip despite overwhelming odds, warning of an alarming rise in malnutrition, particularly among children and pregnant women. The agency estimates that 70,000 children are now suffering from malnutrition, with over 90% of the population affected by hunger and deprivation.

The organisation attributes these unprecedented health anomalies to prolonged exposure to malnutrition, trauma, environmental toxins, and a total lack of prenatal and neonatal care. Medical teams, already exhausted, are treating newborns in darkened wards without basic medication or equipment.

Adnan Abu Hasna, UNRWA’s media advisor, warned that Gaza’s humanitarian crisis is reaching a point of no return. With more than 110 Palestinians being killed daily in Israeli bombardments, and food and medicine blocked at the borders, the enclave is being pushed beyond collapse. He appealed to the international community to act urgently, not only to provide immediate aid, but to put an end to the siege that is systematically extinguishing life.