The Palestinian Ministry of Health in Gaza has disclosed alarming data about newborns’ health and survival amid the ongoing Israeli aggression and the healthcare system’s collapse.

Zaher Al-Wahidi, head of the Health Information Unit, revealed that from January to June 2025, there were approximately 17,000 births in Gaza. Yet, the inhumane conditions endured by mothers and infants have led to tragically high rates of miscarriage, stillbirth, neonatal death, and congenital defects.

During this period, the Ministry recorded:

• 2,600 pregnancy losses (miscarriages),

• 220 fetal deaths during pregnancy or before delivery,

• 21 newborn deaths within their first day of life,

• 67 infants born with congenital malformations (0.39%),

• 2,535 newborns requiring immediate nursery care (14.91%),

• 1,600 cases of low birth weight (9.41%),

• 1,460 premature births (8.59%).

Al-Wahidi warned these figures signal a catastrophic situation, not merely complicated births, but a whole generation entering life burdened by severe health risks, worsened by the healthcare system’s collapse due to bombings, medicine shortages, and power outages.

The World Health Organization reported in March 2025 that over 60% of Gaza’s hospitals cannot manage complicated childbirths due to critical shortages of medical staff, incubators, oxygen, and essential supplies.

UNRWA has highlighted that many pregnant women are forced to deliver in “inhumane” conditions—often in tents, schools, or streets, due to destruction of homes and healthcare centres. Over 50,000 pregnant women face the risk of giving birth without adequate medical supervision amid medicine shortages, malnutrition, and contaminated water.

Medical sources link the surge in congenital malformations to mothers’ exposure to toxic substances from shelling, alongside severe malnutrition during pregnancy. Limited access to diagnostic imaging and specialized labs means many defects go undetected until after birth.

A May 2025 report indicated deformity rates have quadrupled from typical levels (less than 0.1%) to nearly 0.4%, underscoring the direct impact of ongoing conflict conditions.

These figures illustrate a grim dimension of the war since October 2023, not only the staggering toll of deaths and injuries but the devastating effects on Gaza’s future generations. Mothers are denied the right to safe childbirth; newborns face life-threatening conditions from their first breath.

Ministry data estimate that between 13,000 and 16,500 children have been killed since the war began, including approximately 1,100 newborns. UNICEF further reports a child dying every hour in Gaza, highlighting the urgent need for global intervention to halt this tragic decline in new life.