“I will give birth to my first child under bombardment and in the absence of sanitation.”

Everyone is suffering in Gaza right now. Pregnant women in Gaza are particularly vulnerable to the current situation, with maternal deaths, miscarriages, premature births and low birth weights on the rise as the health care system nears total collapse.

“I never imagined that I would give birth to my first child far from home and under airstrikes,” said a young mother, Israa.

“The place where I gave birth had no sanitation or hygiene facilities. However, I could not blame the hospital because the pressures on the doctors and nurses were beyond their capacity,” she added.

Pregnant women are struggling to obtain necessary medical care, while newborn babies die due to lack of incubators, electricity and medical supplies.

UNFPA has been on the ground even before conflict erupted in October 2023, delivering lifesaving care to pregnant women, new mothers, and their newborns as health care became inaccessible.

But the situation is worsening, so we’re humbly asking you to make a gift today. This holiday season, will you be there for women and girls who desperately need your support in Gaza and beyond?

We condemn the violence in Gaza, the West Bank, and Israel, and echo the UN Secretary-General’s call for a sustained humanitarian ceasefire and the immediate and unconditional release of all hostages by Hamas. The suffering must end and peace must prevail.

Thank you for being there for women and girls.

— USA for UNFPA