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Rabat – At the heart of the escalating catastrophe in the Gaza Strip caused by the murderous campaign waged by the Israeli Occupying Forces (IOF) on defenseless Palestinians, pregnant women and newborn babies are at the front line of vulnerability.
As more than half of Gazans flee their homes, seeking refuge in UN shelters, schools, hospitals, or with relatives, the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) sounds the alarm for the dire plight of women and girls in Gaza.
UNFPA expresses critical concern for the estimated 50,000 pregnant women in Gaza, with 5,522 expected to deliver within the next month.
The harsh reality is that these women are now cut off from essential safe delivery services, as hospitals come under attack, and the health system unravels, grappling with a shortage of life-saving medicines, fuel, and electricity.
Among the 2.2 million affected population in Gaza, women and girls of reproductive age, approximately 572,000, constitute 1 in 4. Urgent access to reproductive health supplies and services is imperative for their well-being as they face the grim consequences of an aggression that shows no signs of abating.
In the West Bank, a parallel crisis unfolds, with around 73,000 pregnant women, and more than 8,120 expected to give birth in the next month. The violence threatens to spill over, intensifying the challenges faced by these expectant mothers.
Read also: Palestinian Woman Gives Birth to Quadruplet Amid Conflict
The Gaza Strip today bears the scars of displacement: over 1.9 million people, or 85% of its population, have been forced to evacuate as a result of incessant ground and air operations by the IOF.
The gravity of the situation is underscored by the Gaza Ministry’s report of a staggering 21,320 deaths in the region, including 6,300 women and 8,800 children.
The humanitarian crisis deepens as pregnant women and newborns grapple not only with the immediate threat of violence but also with the scarcity of resources and crumbling healthcare infrastructure.
Hospitals, once sanctuaries for expectant mothers, are now targeted, leaving these women in a desperate search for safe spaces to bring new life into the world.
The UNFPA underscores the urgent need for international intervention to provide immediate relief to pregnant women in Gaza.
Beyond the immediate challenge of safe delivery, the organization emphasizes the necessity of ensuring access to reproductive health supplies and services for the broader population of women and girls of reproductive age.
