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The threat of famine is looming over Gaza, with some relief organizations reporting that a famine could be declared “within weeks.”
Hunger and malnutrition have spread through Gaza at frightening speed — causing catastrophic rates of disease, death, and despair. For pregnant women and newborns, every day has become a fight for survival. With each meal missed, the odds of a woman delivering an undernourished, undersized baby rise. New mothers are not getting enough food to nurse their newborns — who are often too weak to even cry. In Gaza, doctors report that newborns are dying because they weigh too little. The humanitarian crisis is made worse due to a decimated health system. Only three maternity hospitals remain. The medical facilities that are still functioning are overwhelmed with patients. Life-threatening obstetric complications and premature births have soared since the outbreak of hostilities. UNFPA has delivered enough lifesaving medicines and equipment to support more than half of the births — 21,000 — in Gaza since October 2023. More aid is needed to stop the crisis looming over pregnant women and newborns. But the window of opportunity is closing fast and hundreds of thousands of lives hang in the balance.
The suffering must end. We condemn the violence in Gaza, the West Bank, and Israel, including all sexual violence, and echo the UN Secretary-General’s call for a sustained humanitarian ceasefire and the immediate and unconditional release of all hostages by Hamas. Thank you for being there for women and girls. — USA for UNFPA |
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