Gaza Herald – In a harrowing statement, Andrew Sapaton, Deputy Executive Director of the UN Population Fund (UNFPA), has warned that women in Gaza are giving birth among the ruins of a territory crushed by Israeli siege and starvation, where nearly one in four Palestinians suffers from severe hunger. “The destruction in Gaza feels endless,” Sapaton said, describing scenes of devastation that “look like something out of a dark film, except this is real life.”
He revealed that tens of thousands of women have lost their homes and basic dignity, with many unable to access even the most essential hygiene items. Among the 11,500 pregnant women trapped in Gaza, Sapaton described their condition as “catastrophic for both mother and child,” adding that hospitals are barely functioning, 94% have been damaged or destroyed, and premature or low-weight newborns now make up 70% of all births.
“There are no safe or normal births left in Gaza,” he said, citing the collapse of the health system, extreme shortages of medicine and fuel, and growing maternal deaths due to the lack of life-saving drugs. Many women, he added, are forced to give birth in the streets, tents, or under the rubble, without privacy, clean water, or medical support.
The UNFPA official noted that the agency’s efforts to deliver aid have been severely restricted by Israeli blockades, with only a fraction of supplies entering the Strip. “We have incubators, medical monitors, and hygiene kits waiting at the crossings,” he said, calling for the immediate opening of all borders and a protected humanitarian corridor to reach the 2.3 million Palestinians still trapped under siege.
Sapaton concluded that while the recent ceasefire has offered “a flicker of hope,” the only real path to recovery begins with a permanent end to military aggression. Until then, he warned, Gaza’s women will keep giving birth to their children between death and debris, in a place where life itself is under attack.
