Gaza Herald- The Ministry of Health in Gaza has issued a dire warning over a steep rise in congenital birth defects and low birth weights among newborns, particularly in Gaza City. Health officials directly link this alarming trend to widespread maternal malnutrition, nearly a year of relentless war, and a collapsed healthcare system.
Doctors report a significant increase in cases of low birth weight (LBW), infants born under 2 kilograms, caused by extreme nutritional deficiencies among pregnant women. While LBW rates before the war hovered around 5%, current estimates have jumped to between 10% and 15%.
According to UNICEF, severe acute malnutrition (SAM) among pregnant women has reached critical levels, leading to irreversible damage to fetal development. The absence of prenatal care and vital supplements—such as folic acid and iron—has contributed to a surge in birth anomalies, including heart, neural, and skeletal defects.
Officials further cite the destruction of maternity wards, the lack of diagnostic tools, and the ongoing Israeli blockade as key factors fueling this unfolding public health crisis.
Environmental degradation has only intensified the threat. Gaza’s battered infrastructure has left pregnant women and infants vulnerable to contaminated water, poor sanitation, and air pollution. Doctors also suspect that exposure to heavy metals from munitions may be contributing to some of the more severe congenital deformities now being observed.
In an urgent appeal, Gaza’s Health Ministry is calling for immediate international intervention—including the restoration of health services, emergency nutritional support for women and children, and access to safe delivery environments. Without such efforts, an entire generation faces the risk of lifelong disability.
As humanitarian aid remains largely blocked at Gaza’s borders, the Ministry warns that Gaza’s infants are paying the silent, devastating price of war—before they even take their first breath.
