The scale and speed of death and destruction in Gaza are unparalleled. Some 1.7 million people displaced, communities obliterated, homes demolished, entire families and generations wiped out. And now starvation is bearing down on Palestinians in Gaza. 

Around 155,000 pregnant women and new mothers are struggling to survive. They are suffering from hunger and the diseases that stalk it, amid life-threatening shortages of food, water and medical care. For the 5,500 women who will give birth in the coming month, accessing adequate health care is an unimaginable challenge. Only three maternity hospitals remain in the Gaza Strip, and they are overwhelmed with patients. Doctors and midwives – desperate for medicines and supplies – are struggling to provide adequate care to newborns. 

If women do survive pregnancy and childbirth, they must return to overcrowded shelters and informal settlements that lack clean water and hygiene facilities. 

In the West Bank, around 73,000 women are currently pregnant, with more than 8,120 expected to give birth in the next month as violence threatens to spill over and displacement reaches record highs.

Despite the dangers, UNFPA and partners have delivered life-saving medicines and equipment that have supported more than half of the births – 21,000 – in Gaza since the war began on 7 October. Essential hygiene supplies, including soap and sanitary pads, are being delivered to women and girls.

An immediate ceasefire and the immediate and unconditional release of hostages is needed. It is the only way to scale up the delivery of aid to those who need it most and to end the immense suffering.

Updated 2 April 2024