Number of stillborn babies increases in Gaza due to malnutrition and stress among pregnant women

The number of stillborn babies in Gaza has increased in recent weeks due to malnutrition and stress among pregnant women, a UN official reported this Friday, warning that “normal-sized babies” are no longer born in the enclave.

“We are seeing, in terms of maternal care, a large increase in complicated birth cases, (…) due to malnutrition, hunger, dehydration and stress caused by the great fear that continues to prevail everywhere” , said Dominic Allen, representative of the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) for Palestine, in a virtual press briefing from Jerusalem, about his recent visit to Gaza.

“Fear is everywhere in Gaza, but especially for pregnant women. Doctors report that they no longer see normal-sized babies. Tragically, they see more stillbirths and more neonatal deaths. And this is caused, in part, by malnutrition, dehydration and complications”, he added, highlighting that around 180 women give birth every day in Gaza and go through this situation.

Describing the dramatic scenario he found on the ground, with pregnant women “exhausted by fear, from having been displaced several times, from hunger”, Allen stressed that “these mothers should wrap their children in their arms, not in body bags”.

According to Dominic Allen, this situation will definitely affect the future of Gaza.

The UNFPA representative also highlighted the lack of anesthetic products for cesarean sections and denounced the refusal by the Israeli authorities to send certain essential products for births.

“If I can paint a picture of what I saw, felt, heard while I was in Gaza (…) it’s that it’s a nightmare bigger than a humanitarian crisis, it’s a crisis of humanity”, he lamented.

“I can assure you that it is worse than I can describe, or than the images can show, or than you can imagine”, he reinforced.

During the trip to the north of the Gaza Strip, the area most affected by Israel’s war in the enclave, “what I saw broke my heart”, Allen insisted, referring to the “indescribable emotion” in the eyes of the population.

“All the people we saw, who we spoke to, were emaciated, they were hungry, they were all making this sign to ask for food”, he described, putting his hands to his mouth.

“That’s why every day, especially in the north, is a battle for survival,” Allen stressed.

Most of Gaza’s hospitals are no longer functioning and the UN has repeatedly warned that the north, in particular, faces the greatest threat of imminent famine.

Allen, who defended the need for aid to be delivered without restrictions and on a large scale to the enclave, also mentioned having seen airdrops of aid that missed the target or were poorly used.

Israel and Hamas have been at war since October 7, 2023, when operatives from the Palestinian Islamist group carried out an unprecedented attack on Israeli soil, killing around 1,200 people and kidnapping around 240 others.

In response, Israel launched a military offensive in the Gaza Strip that has caused around 31,500 deaths, according to the Hamas government.