About 130 Children Born Daily In Gaza Amid Total Siege On Aid And Goods

About 130 children are being born daily in Gaza as Israeli authorities' total siege on supplies enters its second month, putting mothers and newborns at risk as medical and food supplies run out and a lack of flour closes all bakeries , said Save the Children.

There are about 50,000 pregnant women in Gaza, with 4,000 deliveries estimated in March, according to UNFPA [1]. That’s about 130 babies born every day over a month into a healthcare system driven to the verge of collapse, where some may not survive complications at birth.

Not one truck - humanitarian or commercial - has been allowed into Gaza since the Government of Israel imposed a total siege on 2 March. No goods have entered including water, flour, fuel, or medicine, and essential supplies are quickly depleting. All bakeries across the Gaza Strip - a critical source of food - have closed after exhausting their remaining flour stocks, according to the World Food Programme.

The survival of mothers and newborn children in Gaza is under particular threat due to the lack of food, destruction of hospitals , and chronic stress. Malnutrition during pregnancy can seriously affect a baby’s development, leading to low birth weight, stunted growth , and long-term difficulties in learning and development.

The number of miscarriages has reportedly surged with a 300% increase in Gaza during the war and pregnancy complications that would normally be treatable are now becoming life-threatening [2]. More babies are being born premature and underweight, putting them at risk of serious, lifelong health problems.

Save the Children spoke with new mothers the organisation is assisting during the eight-week pause in hostilities that ended on 18 March who described nearly dying while giving birth in tents, and babies being born dangerously malnourished. At least 322 children have been killed and over 600 injured by Israeli forces since the resumption of hostilities, according to the UN.

Meriem-, 31, mother of seven in Gaza:

"I couldn’t go to the hospital. I gave birth to him in a tent, and it was complicated. I had postpartum haemorrhage and needed seven pints of blood. When I eventually made it to the hospital, the doctors told me I was between life and death.

We had no food. Food wasn’t available, we couldn’t find anything, and two months after he was born, he became malnourished. I was watching all my children wasting away and I was helpless. I couldn’t do anything for them."

Fatima-, 30, mother of four Gaza:

"I gave birth to my baby in a tent. My daughter came out so small, underweight, and I couldn’t get her adequate care. It was hard, hospitals were full. I didn’t have a cot, so my husband would find empty boxes, put them on top of each other, and we’d lay her there so she’s not sleeping on the floor. We didn’t want insects to get inside her ear or nose or hurt her head from laying on the floor. My mother-in-law used to comment on how tiny my newborn was compared to the rest of my children when they were born."

Save the Children is calling on the Government of Israel to immediately lift the siege on Gaza and to facilitate unimpeded humanitarian access to families across the Strip, in line with their obligations under international law. If the international community does not intervene soon, an entire generation of children in Gaza will be erased, along with their futures. There must be a definitive ceasefire, and aid must be allowed to reach people.

Save the Children provides nutrition services and safe spaces for pregnant and breastfeeding women and young children in Gaza. We run 10 Mother Baby Areas (MBA) in Deir Al Balah and Khan Younis where mothers can access advice, support, and speak to nutrition counsellors - some of which we’ve had to temporarily suspend due to the conduct of hostilities and the lack of safety assurances for humanitarian workers.

Save the Children has been providing essential services and support to Palestinian children since 1953 and has had a permanent presence in the occupied Palestinian territory since 1973.

Notes:

[1] UNFPA: https://www.unfpa.org/sites/default/files/resource-pdf/Palestine%20Situation%20Report%2015%20%28Final%29.pdf

[2] Missing Futures Report: https://resourcecentre.savethechildren.net/pdf/Missing-Futures-The-Urgent-Need-To-Protect-Gazas-Children-Safeguard-Their-Futures.pdf/

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