SAFA -  Nearly 4,000 miscarriages were recorded in the Gaza Strip during the first half of 2026, amid severe malnutrition, repeated displacement, and the collapse of essential health services after years of Israeli attacks and restrictions, according to United Nations data and human rights reports.

The United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) said nearly 4,000 pregnancy losses were recorded in Gaza between January and June 2026, more than three times the number documented during the second half of 2025.

The actual figure could be higher, as the statistics do not include miscarriages that occurred outside hospitals and other medical facilities.

According to UNFPA, pregnant women across Gaza continue to endure severe food insecurity, malnutrition, repeated displacement, psychological trauma, and overcrowded, unsanitary living conditions.

Disruptions to prenatal care and shortages of medicines, diagnostic services, and emergency obstetric procedures have also left potentially dangerous pregnancy complications undetected or untreated.

UNFPA said further analysis is required to establish the factors behind the sharp increase and has commissioned a study examining the conditions facing pregnant women in Gaza.

Data published by the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) showed that Gaza's health facilities recorded 3,950 miscarriages between January and June 2026, compared with 1,197 between July and December 2025.

The miscarriage rate was estimated at 208.5 per 1,000 live births, with the rate reaching its highest level in April, when more than a quarter of pregnancies ended in miscarriage.

The UN data also indicated that around 74 percent of pregnancy losses occurred during the first trimester, while 57 percent of pregnant women suffered from anemia.

Meanwhile, Gaza's birth rate declined by 3.2 percent compared with late 2025. Nearly half of recorded deliveries were performed by Caesarean section, largely in cases involving bleeding, hypertension, and infections among mothers.

Doctors Warn of Worsening Maternal Health Crisis

Palestinian doctors say miscarriages represent only one aspect of a broader reproductive and maternal health emergency.

Medical teams have also reported increasing numbers of stillbirths, premature deliveries, and serious complications during pregnancy and childbirth.

Dr. Ahmed al-Farra, head of the pediatric department at Nasser Hospital in Khan Younis, said the miscarriage rate had risen to nearly three times its pre-war level.

Al-Farra attributed the deterioration to several interconnected factors, including severe water shortages, malnutrition, anemia, infections, and prolonged psychological stress.

He said people in Gaza have been surviving on extremely limited quantities of water, much of which is unsafe for drinking, increasing the risk of infections and further weakening people already suffering from malnutrition.

Doctors have also recorded increasing cases of anemia, bleeding, and hypertension among pregnant women.

Al-Farra warned that years of psychological trauma and exposure to environmental pollution could have lasting consequences for mothers and their children.

Euro-Med: Pregnant Women Remain at Serious Risk

The Euro-Mediterranean Human Rights Monitor said more than 3,950 miscarriages were documented across Gaza during the first six months of 2026.

The Geneva-based rights group said hundreds of thousands of Palestinian women continue to live in tents and makeshift shelters after widespread destruction of homes and civilian infrastructure across the Gaza Strip.

It said pregnant women have endured bombardment, displacement, smoke, explosions, and severe psychological trauma, while inadequate health services have increased the risks of premature birth, complications during delivery, and preventable maternal and newborn emergencies.

The deterioration comes despite some improvement in the availability of food following the ceasefire.

The Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC) reported last month that food security conditions had improved but remained fragile, with around 1.4 million Palestinians in Gaza still experiencing acute food insecurity.

Palestinian health authorities have previously reported hundreds of deaths linked to malnutrition during the Israeli war on Gaza.

For pregnant women, doctors and humanitarian organizations warn that the consequences of prolonged hunger, displacement, and the destruction of Gaza's health infrastructure are continuing to emerge, placing both mothers and unborn children at heightened risk.