DaysofPal- The humanitarian crisis in Gaza is leaving its most vulnerable victims, the unborn, at grave risk.
Doctors have warned that the size and weight of many fetuses are below normal due to widespread malnutrition among pregnant women, including 27-year-old Maryam Hammouda.
She fears for her baby’s life as her own body struggles to provide adequate nutrition. Sitting exhausted in a maternal care center in Khan Yunis, southern Gaza, Hammouda held her belly and whispered, “God, have mercy.”
“I’ve endured eight months of pregnancy on the edge of my strength and health,” she said, tears in her eyes. “I fear losing my child before or after birth.”
Hammouda is one of hundreds of pregnant women in Gaza suffering from inadequate maternal care caused by food scarcity, limited income, and weakened healthcare services under Israel’s ongoing blockade.
Hospitals across the territory report daily deaths, particularly among children, and a rising number of fetal deaths due to malnutrition and famine.
Despite a partial reopening of border crossings, supplies remain extremely limited, and many aid shipments never reach their intended recipients. The Israeli army continues to control entry into the territory, allowing only a small number of aid trucks, many of which face theft or diversion.
Munir Al-Barsh, Director General of Gaza’s Ministry of Health, told Safa news agency that malnutrition is worsening in hospitals across the Strip. “Hospitals are seeing increasing numbers of deaths and complications caused by malnutrition,” he said. “Many children and fetuses in mothers’ wombs suffer due to the blockade and inadequate maternal care.”
Al-Barsh added that some days see up to seven deaths, including fetuses and children, a level unprecedented in Gaza’s hospitals except during the worst periods of conflict and displacement.
Since March 2025, 28,000 people have suffered from severe malnutrition. Overall, 442 people—including 147 children, have died due to famine and malnutrition since the blockade intensified. Since the IPC declaration of famine in Gaza, 164 deaths, including 32 children, have been recorded.
Since October 2023, amid ongoing Israeli occupation forces’ operations supported by the United States, over 63,000 Palestinians have been killed, more than 160,000 injured, and over 14,000 remain missing under rubble.
The crisis has now reached Gaza’s mothers and their unborn children, highlighting the devastating human cost of prolonged conflict and blockade.
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