Women, children and newborns in Gaza are disproportionately bearing the burden of the Israeli aggression on the enclave, the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), the United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA), the United Nations sexual and reproductive health agency (UNFPA), and the World Health Organization (WHO) have warned. As of 3 November, according to Ministry of Health data, 2,326 women and 3,760 children have been killed by the Israeli occupation in the Gaza strip, representing 67 percent of all casualties, while thousands more have been injured. This means that 420 children are killed or injured every day, some of them only a few months old. “The [Israeli] bombardments, damaged or non-functioning health facilities, massive levels of displacement, collapsing water and electricity supplies as well as restricted access to food and medicines, are severely disrupting maternal, newborn, and child health services,” the UN agencies warned. There are an estimated 50,000 pregnant women in Gaza, with more than 180 giving birth every day. Fifteen percent of them are likely to experience pregnancy or birth-related complications and need additional medical care. The UN agencies explained that all of these women are unable to access the emergency obstetric services they need to give birth safely and care for their newborns. “With 14 hospitals and 45 primary healthcare centers closed, some women are having to give birth in shelters, in their homes, in the streets amid rubble, or in overwhelmed healthcare facilities, where sanitation is worsening, and the risk of infection and medical complications is on the rise,” the agencies said. The UN agencies added, “The lives of newborns also hang by a thread. If hospitals run out of fuel, the lives of an estimated 130 premature babies who rely on neonatal and intensive care services will be threatened, as incubators and other medical equipment will no longer function.” Over half of the population of Gaza is now sheltering in UNRWA facilities in dire conditions, with inadequate water and food supplies, which is causing hunger and malnutrition, dehydration and the spread of waterborne diseases. According to UNRWA’s initial assessments, 4,600 displaced pregnant women and about 380 newborns living in these facilities require medical attention. “Humanitarian agencies urgently need sustained and safe access to bring more medicines, food, water and fuel into Gaza. No fuel has come into the Gaza Strip since 7 October. Aid agencies must receive fuel immediately to be able to continue supporting hospitals, water plants and bakeries.”
Source: Palestine News & Information Agency