A young girl stands outside the tent she and her family have been living in in Gaza City. They are now being forced to flee.

This ground offensive deepens the nightmare humanitarian crisis unfolding in Gaza, where famine has been confirmed. Over 500,000 people could die of hunger at any moment, and another 1 million people are on the brink of starvation.

Thousands of women and girls are being forced to flee Gaza City, risking their lives on unsafe roads. Those who escape must fight for survival in overcrowded shelters and tent cities with no food, healthcare, shelter, clean water, or sanitation.

Hospitals and healthcare facilities are under attack, and pregnant women have nowhere to go. Right now, four UNFPA hospitals and 23 clinics serving 23,000 pregnant women in Gaza City are at imminent risk of shutdown.

We cannot emphasize enough how dangerous it is to be a pregnant woman in Gaza. 40% of pregnant women suffer from severe malnutrition, vastly increasing their risk of life-threatening complications and stillbirth. For their babies, one in five is born underweight, premature, or in urgent need of advanced medical care.

As pregnant women flee to the south, their only option is to seek out health facilities — all of which are already running dangerously low on fuel and supplies and are operating far beyond their capacity. Women are forced to give birth alone in their tents or on the side of the road and hoping they and their babies survive.

But thanks to supporters like you, UNFPA remains on the ground in Gaza City, delivering under fire, while also racing to expand services in the south to meet the growing demand.

We have opened the Al Awda field maternity hospital and an additional health center in the south to provide care. In recent weeks, six trucks loaded with reproductive health kits, shelter materials, and hygiene supplies have been permitted to enter Gaza. However, this is nowhere near relief enough to meet the overwhelming needs, and we stand ready to deliver more aid once border access improves.

Please, will you rush a gift before it’s too late to help scale up relief for women, girls, and families in Gaza and surviving crises around the world?

We condemn the violence in Gaza, the West Bank, and Israel, and hope for a sustained humanitarian ceasefire, the immediate and unconditional release of all hostages by Hamas, and an end to the violence. The suffering must end and peace must prevail.

We know how hard it is to continue reading one heartbreaking update after another, which is why we’re so appreciative of your support. Thank you for being there and not turning away when women and girls need you most.

— USA for UNFPA