DaysofPal- The Gaza Human Rights Center has said that newly released data from Gaza’s Ministry of Health, alongside figures published by the Palestinian newspaper Palestine, point to a systematic pattern of reproductive violence that may constitute a distinct component of genocide.
In a statement issued on Friday, the organization argued that the latest demographic and health indicators reveal a sharp and unprecedented decline in live births in the Gaza Strip, accompanied by a dramatic increase in miscarriage rates since the outbreak of the war in October 2023.
Sharp Decline in Birth Rates
According to the center, the number of live births in Gaza has fallen far beyond what would normally be expected under wartime conditions.
Health Ministry data showed that only 2,004 live births were recorded in April 2026, representing a 67 percent decline compared with November 2025, when 6,076 births were registered.
The downward trend accelerated throughout 2026. Official figures recorded 5,210 births in January, falling to 3,433 in February, 3,233 in March, and 2,004 in April. Gaza’s Interior Ministry later reported only 1,701 births in May.
The decline is part of a broader trend that began after the start of the war. Gaza recorded approximately 57,000 births in 2022, a figure that dropped to 54,000 in 2023 and then to 38,000 in 2024, a reduction of about 38 percent compared with pre-war levels.
At the same time, the organization highlighted a significant rise in miscarriages that it said cannot be explained by natural factors alone.
According to the Health Ministry, 921 miscarriages were recorded in April 2026 alone, equivalent to 460 miscarriages for every 1,000 live births, or roughly 46 percent of registered pregnancies.
The statement noted that approximately 6,000 miscarriages were recorded during 2025, while monthly figures in 2026 have ranged between 500 and 600 cases. The center said this represents a 225 percent increase over pre-war averages and exceeds levels typically associated with even severe conflict environments.
Impact of War on Reproductive Health
The rights group noted that these indicators reveal a particularly dangerous dimension of the humanitarian crisis, extending beyond direct deaths to an assault on the Palestinian population’s biological capacity to survive and reproduce.
According to the center, the figures cannot be separated from the broader context of more than 32 months of war, including extensive damage to Gaza’s healthcare system, repeated attacks on hospitals, and shortages of food, medicine, and basic healthcare services.
The organization cited the 1948 Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide, which includes “imposing measures intended to prevent births within the group” among the acts that may constitute genocide.
It argued that such measures do not necessarily require forced sterilization or direct medical interventions but may also arise through living and health conditions that effectively undermine a community’s ability to reproduce and sustain itself.
Factors Cited by the Organization
The center said several interconnected factors have directly affected reproductive health in Gaza, including the widespread destruction of hospitals, primary healthcare centers, maternity wards, and fertility clinics, as well as the killing, injury, or detention of medical personnel, which has contributed to the collapse of maternal and child healthcare services.
It also pointed to restrictions on the entry of medicines and medical supplies essential for pregnant women and newborns, alongside severe food shortages and malnutrition that increase the risks of miscarriage, premature birth, and pregnancy-related complications. According to the organization, repeated displacement has forced many pregnant women to live in harsh conditions lacking adequate healthcare, sanitation, and privacy, while continuous exposure to trauma, fear, and insecurity has further heightened the risk of pregnancy complications.
The center also highlighted damage to fertility treatment facilities and the destruction of frozen embryos in some medical centers, arguing that these actions have directly affected families’ ability to pursue assisted reproduction and exercise their right to have children.
Calls for International Investigation
The organization said the demographic trends amount to a direct assault on the future of Palestinian society and its population structure.
It stressed that genocide is not limited to the destruction of those currently living but may also involve undermining a group’s ability to reproduce and maintain its existence across generations.
The center called on the international community to treat the decline in birth rates and the increase in miscarriages as indicators warranting an independent international investigation. It urged investigators to examine whether Israeli policies and actions have deliberately contributed to preventing births within the Palestinian population of Gaza, an act explicitly referenced in the Genocide Convention.
The organization also emphasized that international responsibility extends beyond halting military operations. It called for urgent efforts to restore reproductive healthcare services, ensure the entry of medical and nutritional supplies needed by pregnant women and newborns, and hold accountable those responsible for policies that have contributed to an unprecedented deterioration in Gaza’s reproductive and demographic health indicators.
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