By Quds News Network
Gaza (Quds News Network)- Pregnant women in Gaza are enduring dire conditions as the humanitarian crisis intensifies, with escalating shortages of essential supplies and the onset of harsh winter weather.
According to a recent report from the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), around 50,000 pregnant women in Gaza are particularly vulnerable amid the ongoing Israeli assault, with critical shortages of food, water, shelter, and sanitation.
The report highlights the deteriorating living conditions in the enclave, where heavy rains, rising sea tides, and freezing temperatures are exacerbating already severe shortages of basic necessities.
Water and sanitation systems are collapsing, and sewage is accumulating in the streets, worsening hygiene and increasing the spread of infectious diseases. As a result, women and girls in Gaza are increasingly suffering from reproductive and urinary tract infections, largely due to a lack of sanitary products and poor hygiene conditions.
The UNFPA reports that 72 percent of women are unable to access menstrual hygiene supplies, further contributing to the already unbearable situation.
The agency also warns of rapidly escalating food insecurity and malnutrition, with around 345,000 people across Gaza facing famine-like conditions. Among those suffering, 38,000 adolescent girls and 8,000 pregnant women are particularly at risk.
The assault has led to a rise in maternal deaths, miscarriages, preterm births, and low-birth-weight infants, as the healthcare system in Gaza teeters on the brink of collapse due to the relentless bombardment by Israeli forces.
The UNFPA report reveals that 84 percent of healthcare facilities in Gaza have been destroyed, leaving only 17 out of 36 hospitals partially operational.
In northern Gaza, where Israel imposed a siege starting on October 5, the Kamal Adwan Hospital—the last major medical facility providing maternal and newborn care—has been besieged by the Israeli army. This has left pregnant women struggling to access critical medical services, and many newborns have died due to a lack of incubators, electricity, and essential medical supplies.
Jawaher, a displaced woman who fled northern Gaza, shared her painful experience with the UNFPA: “I was not ready for childbirth. We are very tired,” she said, recounting how she was in labor for two days while searching for shelter before finally reaching al-Sahaba Hospital to give birth.
The situation has made safe pregnancies and deliveries almost impossible.
The continuous Israeli airstrikes have destroyed much of Gaza’s infrastructure, including medical facilities, making it increasingly difficult for women to receive the care they need during pregnancy and childbirth.
The humanitarian crisis has also displaced thousands of families, including Adla, who fled the northern region of Jabalia. “We have no mattress, no food, no clothes—nothing,” she told the agency. “We fled the airstrikes as we were.”
Since the start of Israel’s assault on Gaza on October 7, 2023, over 44,800 people have been killed, and more than 106,000 wounded, with women and children making up the majority of the casualties. According to the UN, around 70 percent of those who have died are women and children.
16 December 2024
Source: countercurrents.org