Gaza: Nearly double the number of complicated births according to the United Nations (+photos)

Following a recent visit to the Strip, which is under Israeli siege, the UN envoy estimated that doctors there were seeing nearly twice as many complicated deliveries, more stillborn babies, and more newborn deaths.

He said in a virtual press conference from Jerusalem that the situation is more than catastrophic, also warning of a war on narratives and misinformation along with the violence of the conflict on the ground.

Allen considered himself “terrified” by the average of 180 hungry, dehydrated women giving birth every day in the Palestinian territories.

He stressed, “Personally, I left Gaza this week feeling afraid for one million women and girls in Gaza, for 650,000 women of reproductive age, and above all, for the 180 women who give birth every day.”

Among other alarming statistics, UNFPA claims that an increase in malnutrition has been reported among more than 155,000 pregnant and lactating women in Gaza.

Meanwhile, nearly 5,500 women will give birth next month and face “unimaginable challenges” to access adequate medical care.

According to Allen, most of them no longer have the health care services they need to safely deliver their babies.

The UNFPA representative described the fear that exists everywhere in the enclave, but especially among pregnant women.

For their part, doctors report that they no longer see a normal-sized baby while support groups face access restrictions by Israeli defense authorities.

Poem / ebr