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Al-Shifa Hospital once stood as one of Gaza's largest maternity hospitals — a beacon of hope for expectant mothers throughout the Gaza Strip. Today, it’s barely recognizable.
Yet somehow, impossibly, it still functions. Doctors navigate through rubble. Midwives deliver babies in partially collapsed buildings. And every single day, women give birth amid the destruction. "This used to be one of the largest maternity hospitals in the entire Gaza Strip, and today, as you can see behind me, it is all in ruins. But it is still persistent, it is still functional," said Nestor Owomuhangi, UNFPA representative in Palestine, during a recent visit to Al-Shifa.
Since the beginning of the war, UNFPA has never left Gaza. Right now, 175 midwives are deployed across the Strip, working in 22 healthcare facilities including five major hospitals like Al-Shifa. They are delivering lifesaving care under unimaginable conditions. Every day, they support 130 deliveries — and 98 percent of the births in Gaza still take place in healthcare facilities, despite everything. But the crisis is far from over. Every single day, 18 women give birth outside healthcare facilities — on roadsides, in makeshift shelters, and without any medical care. Our team is working around the clock to deliver medical supplies, station midwives across the Gaza Strip, and reach every woman in need — but we can’t do it without your support. You can provide essential supplies for safe deliveries. You can support midwives bringing expertise to facilities that desperately need it. Anything you can give makes a difference in one of the most crucial, vulnerable moments of an expecting mothers life.
We welcome the ceasefire agreement, the release of all hostages by Hamas, and the delivery of lifesaving humanitarian aid in Gaza. We are hopeful that peace will prevail and that the suffering of women, girls, and families will end. Thank you, — USA for UNFPA |
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