Gaza’s Silent Crisis: Rising Stillbirths, Birth Defects, and Premature Babies in War-Torn Communities

In the Al-Shifa maternity ward in Gaza City, Dr. Hana Abu-Rabia recorded 17 stillbirths in a single week in February, a figure three times higher than the monthly average before October 2023. The infants, many born at 22 to 24 weeks gestation, showed no signs of life upon delivery, their tiny bodies often exhibiting severe congenital anomalies including neural tube defects and limb malformations.

These cases are part of a documented surge in adverse pregnancy outcomes across Gaza’s overwhelmed health system. At Nasser Hospital in Khan Younis, obstetricians reported a 300% increase in stillbirths and severe birth defects between October 2023 and February 2024 compared to the same period the previous year. Similar trends emerged at Al-Aqsa Hospital in Deir al-Balah and the European Gaza Hospital in Rafah, where staff noted a sharp rise in pregnancies complicated by maternal anemia, malnutrition, and untreated infections.

The World Health Organization confirmed in its March 2024 health cluster report that access to prenatal care has collapsed across the Strip, with only 12% of pregnant women receiving the minimum four recommended checkups. Essential supplies including folic acid, ultrasound gel, and antibiotics for urinary tract infections have been depleted in 80% of functional health facilities, according to UNFPA assessments conducted in January.

At the same time, neonatal intensive care units operate at 20% capacity due to shortages of incubators, ventilators, and surfactant therapy. Babies born prematurely — often before 28 weeks — face near-certain mortality without intervention. In one documented case at Al-Rantisi Hospital, a set of triplets born at 26 weeks survived less than 48 hours after respiratory support failed due to machine shortages.

Medical staff attribute the rise in stillbirths and birth defects to a combination of factors: severe maternal malnutrition, with over 90% of pregnant women consuming fewer than 1,000 calories daily according to WFP food security assessments; exposure to environmental toxins from destroyed infrastructure; and the near-total absence of specialized care for high-risk pregnancies. Folic acid deficiency, a known preventable cause of neural tube defects, is widespread due to the collapse of supply chains.

The Palestinian Ministry of Health in Ramallah issued an emergency appeal in mid-February for international aid to restore maternal health services, specifically requesting prenatal vitamins, ultrasound machines, and emergency obstetric kits. As of late March, no substantive delivery of these items had been confirmed through the Gaza Health Cluster coordination mechanism.

Israeli authorities have not publicly responded to specific requests for medical supplies related to maternal health. COGAT, the body responsible for coordinating civilian goods into Gaza, reported in its weekly update that 112 truckloads of medical supplies entered Gaza in the first three weeks of March, but did not specify allocations for obstetric or neonatal care.

Meanwhile, in the southern Gaza town of Rafah, a group of pregnant women sheltered in a UNRWA school have begun sharing prenatal vitamins informally, splitting doses to extend limited supplies. One woman, seven months pregnant and displaced from Khan Younis, described trading half her daily bread ration for a single folic acid tablet obtained through an informal network.

Health officials warn that without immediate intervention, the current trajectory will result in long-term generational health consequences. The long-term surveillance capacity needed to track congenital anomalies among surviving infants does not exist in Gaza’s current health infrastructure.

The maternal and neonatal health crisis remains unaddressed in ongoing ceasefire negotiations, with no specific provisions for obstetric care included in draft agreements discussed by mediators in Cairo and Doha as of late March.