Gaza Herald_Three years into the Israeli war of genocide in the Gaza Strip, Palestinian and UN data reveal widespread impacts of the war on women and girls, ranging from killing, loss, and injury to rising rates of miscarriages, unsafe childbirth, and malnutrition.
The collapse of the healthcare system deprived pregnant women of medical care and forced others to give birth in homes and displacement centers, while shifts in family structures forced thousands of women to assume the responsibility of providing for their households.
Data released by the Palestinian Central Bureau of Statistics on July 18, 2026, showed that 12,400 women (excluding young girls) have been killed in the Gaza Strip since October 7, 2023.
The statistics also noted that 4,700 women and children are among 11,200 missing people whose fates remain unknown, with estimates suggesting many remain under the rubble of destroyed buildings.
Human Toll
In a report titled “The Cost of War on Women and Girls” published in April 2026, UN Women estimated that more than 38,000 women and girls were killed between October 2023 and December 2025, an average of nearly 47 per day.
The report clarified that during the same period, the war left 11,000 women and girls with injuries that will “remain with them for life.”
It added that female survivors face daily risks stemming from bombardment, hunger, repeated displacement, and restrictions imposed on access to basic services.
According to the report, total Palestinian fatalities during the monitored period exceeded 71,200 people, with women, children, and the elderly accounting for more than half of the total dead, a figure likely lower than the actual toll due to the breakdown of health information systems and reporting mechanisms.
The report highlighted that the highest fatality rates among women and children occurred during the first six months of the war, when they constituted nearly two-thirds of the documented deaths.
It affirmed that despite reaching a ceasefire agreement on October 10, 2025, women and girls continued to suffer death and injury, while life-threatening humanitarian and health conditions persisted without tangible improvement.
Reproductive Health Deterioration
Since the early months of the genocide, human rights data demonstrated a sharp deterioration in women’s reproductive health amid Israeli targeting of medical facilities, lack of access to healthcare, repeated displacement, and malnutrition.
In July 2024, the International Planned Parenthood Federation reported a miscarriage increase in the Gaza Strip of no less than 300% during the first nine months of the war.
In January 2026, Physicians for Human Rights issued a report titled “Destroying Hope for the Future: Reproductive Violence in Gaza,” which documented 2,600 miscarriages during the first half of 2025.
The report also documented 220 pregnancy-related deaths and 1,460 premature births, while more than 2,500 newborns required care in intensive care units.
Earlier data from Gaza’s Ministry of Health showed that 57.1% of registered pregnant women suffered from anemia during 2025.
Unsafe Childbirth Conditions
Human rights reports confirmed that pregnant women in the Gaza Strip faced growing difficulties during the months of the genocidal war in accessing necessary prenatal and postnatal care due to the collapse of the healthcare system.
The UN Women report noted that up until March 2025, the Gaza Strip was recording around 130 births daily, with over a quarter performed via Cesarean section, placing massive pressure on an already deteriorating health system.
It stated that the collapse of the health system forced many women to give birth at home and in displacement sites, far from emergency care at health facilities.
Even after the ceasefire, out-of-hospital births continued at a rate of 15 cases per week, often in the absence of skilled midwives and in unsafe conditions, according to the report.
Additionally, hunger and malnutrition doubled the health risks facing pregnant women and newborns, including low birth weights, premature births, stillbirths, and maternal mortality.
By July 2025, 40% of pregnant and breastfeeding women in Gaza were suffering from malnutrition, while nearly half a million women and girls faced the risk of famine, according to UN Women.
The report estimated that 37,000 pregnant and breastfeeding women required treatment for acute malnutrition during the year following the ceasefire, alongside 50,000 young girls.
In another report published on June 19, 2026, the UN agency stated that one million women and girls in Gaza lacked clean water, 690,000 lived in overcrowded shelters, and 328,000 girls were cut off from education.
Miscarriages Multiply
Latest data from Gaza’s Ministry of Health shows expanding risks surrounding pregnant women despite the ceasefire agreement, with the Strip recording approximately 3,958 miscarriages between January and June 2026.
An infographic the Ministry published in July 20 showed the miscarriage rate in the first half of this year reached 208.5 per 1,000 live births, up from 64 per 1,000 live births in the second half of 2025, a 3.3-fold increase.
According to the Ministry, April recorded the highest monthly miscarriage rate at 377.25 cases per 1,000 live births, while June saw the highest total number of miscarriages at 790 cases.
Data indicates that 73.6% of miscarriages occurred during the first trimester (before completing 13 weeks), compared to 26.4% during the second trimester (spanning 13 to 24 weeks of pregnancy).
Female-Headed Households
On a social level, the war reshaped the structure of thousands of families in Gaza, pushing more women to shoulder the responsibility of providing for their households following the death, injury, or disappearance of husbands and the loss of income sources.
According to the UN Women report, the proportion of Palestinian households headed by women in the Strip rose from 9% before the genocide to 14%.
The report noted that 58,600 households in the Strip became female-headed due to the fallout of the war.
It emphasized that this shift imposed long-term economic and social burdens on women and girls, alongside caregiving responsibilities and protection needs arising from displacement, poverty, and the loss of family members.
Israel continues to commit daily violations of the ceasefire agreement in effect since October 10, 2025, resulting in the killing of 1,460 Palestinians and the injury of 5,116 others as of Monday, according to the Gaza Ministry of Health.
Since the start of the Israeli genocidal war on the Gaza Strip on October 8, 2023, more than 74,000 Palestinians have been killed and over 175,000 injured, alongside destruction affecting approximately 90% of the enclave’s infrastructure.
