Gaza Herald _The Gaza Center for Human Rights has stated that newly released official data from Gaza’s Ministry of Health, along with detailed statistics published by Palestine Newspaper, point to a systematic pattern of what it describes as reproductive violence against Palestinians in Gaza. According to the center, these practices amount to an independent crime that forms part of the broader genocide being carried out against the Palestinian population.
In a statement issued on Friday, the center explained that the figures reveal an unprecedented and dramatic decline in the number of live births across the Gaza Strip during recent months, far exceeding any decrease that could normally be attributed to the devastating conditions of war alone.
According to the data, April 2026 recorded only 2,004 live births, representing a staggering 67 percent decline compared with November 2025, when 6,076 children were born.
The downward trend has been evident since the beginning of 2026. Gaza’s Ministry of Health reported 5,210 births in January, followed by 3,433 births in February, 3,233 in March, and only 2,004 in April. Meanwhile, the Ministry of Interior documented just 1,701 births in May 2026, reflecting a continuing and alarming decline.
The reduction in birth rates has been ongoing since the beginning of Israel’s military campaign in Gaza in October 2023. Gaza recorded approximately 57,000 births in 2022, a figure that dropped to 54,000 in 2023, before falling sharply to 38,000 births in 2024, representing a decline of roughly 38 percent compared with pre-war levels.
Rising Miscarriage Rates
At the same time that birth rates have collapsed, health data show a significant increase in miscarriages that cannot easily be explained by natural causes alone.
The Ministry of Health recorded 921 miscarriages during April 2026 alone, equivalent to approximately 460 miscarriages for every 1,000 live births, meaning that nearly 46 percent of recorded pregnancies ended in miscarriage during that month.
Throughout 2025, Gaza registered approximately 6,000 miscarriages, while monthly figures in 2026 have fluctuated between 500 and 600 cases. According to the rights center, this represents an increase of approximately 225 percent above pre-war norms, a rate that far exceeds what would typically be expected even in severe conflict environments.
The organization stressed that these figures reveal a deeply alarming dimension of the ongoing genocide in Gaza. Beyond the direct killing of civilians, the data suggest an assault on the Palestinian population’s biological capacity to survive, reproduce, and sustain itself across future generations.
Part of a Broader Genocidal Context
The center emphasized that these indicators cannot be separated from the broader context of Israel’s military campaign, which has continued for more than 32 months and has been accompanied by the systematic destruction of Gaza’s healthcare system, repeated attacks on hospitals, and widespread deprivation of food, medicine, and essential medical services.
From a legal perspective, the organization noted that Article II of the Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide explicitly includes “imposing measures intended to prevent births within the group” as one of the acts constituting genocide.
The center argued that such measures do not need to take the form of forced sterilization or direct medical intervention alone. They may also involve creating living and health conditions that effectively undermine a targeted population’s ability to reproduce and sustain itself.
Factors Contributing to Reproductive Harm
According to the rights center, the sharp decline in births and the unprecedented rise in miscarriages must be assessed in light of several interconnected actions that have directly affected reproductive health in Gaza.
Among the most significant factors are:
* The widespread destruction of hospitals, primary healthcare centers, maternity wards, and fertility clinics.
* Repeated attacks on medical personnel, including the killing, detention, and targeting of healthcare workers.
* The collapse of maternal and child healthcare services.
* Restrictions on the entry of essential medicines and medical supplies needed by pregnant women and newborns.
The center also highlighted the effects of mass starvation and severe malnutrition, noting that inadequate nutrition significantly increases the risks of miscarriage, premature births, and pregnancy complications.
In addition, repeated forced displacement has compelled pregnant women to live in harsh and inhumane conditions lacking basic healthcare, privacy, and safety.
The statement further pointed to the ongoing psychological trauma, fear, insecurity, and stress experienced by women in Gaza, all of which are medically associated with increased risks during pregnancy and higher rates of miscarriage.
Another major concern raised by the organization is the targeting of fertility and assisted reproduction facilities, including incidents involving the destruction of frozen embryos stored in medical centers. According to the center, such actions directly affect Palestinians’ ability to have children and exercise their reproductive rights.
A Threat to Gaza’s Future
The Gaza Center for Human Rights stated that these demographic indicators suggest a direct assault on the future of Palestinian society and its demographic structure.
The organization stressed that genocide is not limited to the physical destruction of individuals currently living within a community. It also encompasses efforts aimed at undermining that community’s ability to reproduce itself and continue existing across generations.
According to the center, when these practices are viewed collectively and within their broader context, they provide additional evidence of one of the material elements of genocide—namely, the imposition of measures intended to prevent births within the Palestinian population of Gaza.
The organization further argued that these actions must be examined alongside other evidence that may demonstrate the specific intent required under international law for genocide: the intent to destroy, in whole or in part, a national group.
Call for International Investigation
The rights center called on the international community to treat Gaza’s dramatic decline in birth rates and surge in miscarriages as serious indicators requiring an independent international investigation.
It urged investigators to examine whether Israeli policies and actions have deliberately contributed to preventing births among Palestinians in Gaza, an act explicitly prohibited under the Genocide Convention.
The organization emphasized that international responsibility extends beyond ending military attacks. It also includes ensuring the urgent restoration of reproductive healthcare services, guaranteeing the entry of food, medicine, and essential supplies needed by pregnant women and newborns, and holding accountable those responsible for policies that have contributed to the unprecedented deterioration of reproductive and demographic health indicators throughout the Gaza Strip.
