ISRAELI OCCUPIED GAZA, 24 July. - (ANA) - Nearly 4,000 miscarriages were recorded in the Gaza Strip during the first half of this year, according to Palestinian health officials, who attribute the sharp increase to the combined effects of Israel's genocidal war, displacement, malnutrition and the collapse of maternal healthcare services.

 

Local medical officials say pregnant women are facing unprecedented physical and psychological pressures after more than two and a half years of Israel's genocide, with many unable to access routine prenatal care or even basic medical tests.

 

"The increase in miscarriages is unprecedented […] The deteriorating humanitarian conditions have left pregnant women at heightened risk," Bassam Zaqout, director of Medical Relief in Gaza, said in press statements.

 

Speaking to local radio, Zaqout added that many women are forced to travel on damaged roads using overcrowded and unsafe transportation to reach medical facilities, while the destruction of healthcare infrastructure has severely reduced access to essential services.

 

He said continuous Israeli attacks, chronic fear, repeated displacement, sleeping on the ground, the lack of clean water and hygiene supplies, and the spread of infectious diseases inside overcrowded displacement camps have all contributed to worsening maternal health.

 

"The health crisis continues to deepen," Zaqout explained, noting that hospitals are operating in emergency mode because of severe shortages of medicines, medical equipment, laboratory reagents and diagnostic supplies.

 

He added that restrictions on the entry of medical equipment have prevented the health sector from restoring services or expanding maternal care despite growing needs.

 

According to Zaqout, deteriorating sanitation and environmental conditions have also triggered widespread outbreaks of infectious diseases, particularly among displaced families.

 

Thousands of chickenpox infections are recorded every week, while upper respiratory infections and cases of watery diarrhoea linked to contaminated water and poor hygiene continue to rise, he said.

 

The decline in humanitarian aid deliveries, including food and hygiene items, has further worsened living conditions inside tents, where hundreds of thousands of displaced Palestinians continue to shelter with little protection from heat or poor sanitation.

 

The ongoing Israeli genocidal war has devastated large parts of Gaza's civilian infrastructure, destroying roads, water and sewage networks, electricity systems and numerous hospitals and primary healthcare centres, making access to medical treatment increasingly difficult, according to Palestinian official estimates.

 

 

 

 

Mohammed Subaih, a Gaza-based obstetrician and gynaecologist, told The New Arab that the war has fundamentally transformed prenatal care, forcing doctors to abandon preventive medicine in favour of emergency interventions.

 

"Before the war, pregnant women received regular prenatal care from the early weeks of pregnancy," Subaih said. "They underwent laboratory tests, ultrasound examinations, monitoring of fetal growth, blood pressure, blood sugar and haemoglobin levels, while also receiving vitamins and nutritional supplements."

 

"Today, many women cannot access even the most basic tests. Some only reach a doctor after experiencing bleeding, severe pain, or when labour begins," he added.

 

Subaih explained that the women now arrive at clinics exhausted by hunger, malnutrition, sleep deprivation and constant fear, while repeated displacement has deprived many families of any sense of stability throughout pregnancy.

 

He described chronic psychological stress as a key factor impacting maternal health.

 

"The war has caused ongoing anxiety," he said. "Many women lost relatives or homes, now living in tents without essentials for healthy pregnancy. This stress leads to sleep issues, high blood pressure, premature contractions, and higher risks of miscarriage and preterm birth."

 

At the same time, worsening food shortages have significantly affected maternal nutrition.

 

Subaih said more pregnant women suffer from anaemia, deficiencies, and dehydration due to lack of food, risking mothers and babies.

 

"Malnutrition affects fetal growth and raises the likelihood of low birth weight as well as pregnancy complications that may threaten the lives of both mother and child," he continued.

 

He noted that many women miss routine appointments because of evacuation orders, fuel shortages, damaged roads, the destruction of health facilities and fears of airstrikes while travelling.

 

"We receive patients only after their condition has significantly deteriorated because they could not reach the hospital earlier or postponed seeking care due to insecurity or lack of transportation," he said.

 

According to Subaih, the contrast with pre-war maternal healthcare is stark.

 

"Previously, complications were usually detected early and treated before they became life-threatening," he said. "Now we are managing advanced cases that might have been prevented through regular follow-up."

 

"Our work has shifted from ensuring healthy pregnancies to simply trying to save the lives of mothers and their babies under conditions where even the most basic medical resources are unavailable."

 

He believes that pregnancy in Gaza has become a daily struggle in which conflict, displacement, hunger and the collapse of healthcare intersect, leaving women to face not only the normal risks of pregnancy but also the consequences of living in an active war zone.   - (ANA) - 

 

AB/ANA/24 July 2026 - - -