The humanitarian crisis in Gaza is being described as hell on earth.

There have been more than 32,000 fatalities in Gaza since October 2023, and roughly 70% of them are women and children. The humanitarian crisis is not letting up with famine expected between now and May:

Every day is a fight for survival, especially for babies and children. New mothers are not getting enough food to nurse their newborns. Our team reports that newborns are often too weak to even cry. Doctors are even reporting that newborns are dying because they weigh too little.

Medical professionals on the ground report that healthy pregnancies in Gaza are no longer possible, creating a nightmare for pregnant women too. With each meal missed, the odds of a woman delivering an undernourished, undersized baby rise.

But you need to understand that even in the bleakest of crises, your emergency gifts are making a difference:

• UNFPA has delivered enough lifesaving medicines and equipment to support more than half of the births — 21,000 — in Gaza.
• 134,000 Dignity Kits have been distributed to women and girls so they can manage their periods with dignity.
• 185 reproductive health kits have been delivered to health facilities, where lack of fuel and health supplies combined with dire hygienic conditions heighten risks for maternal and newborn morbidity and mortality.

The continuity of these crucial sexual and reproductive health services — especially for the thousands of women who will give birth in the next month and whose movement is restricted — will only be possible with your continued support.

So, will you make an emergency gift to deliver lifesaving care to the women and girls who need it most?

The suffering must end and peace must prevail. 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