Gaza Herald – Amnesty International reported that Palestinian women and girls in Gaza were denied the basic conditions to live safely and give life during Israel’s ongoing genocidal campaign in the Strip.
The organization documented that the genocide had pushed women “to the brink,” causing mass displacement, destruction of the local healthcare system, and severe disruption to sexual and reproductive health services. Hospitals struggled with damaged infrastructure, shortages of essential medicines, and limited referral capacity, leaving many women without critical care.
Medical workers in Gaza reported a sharp rise in maternal and neonatal health issues over the past 29 months, including pre-term births, low-weight babies, respiratory problems, malnutrition among pregnant women, and postpartum depression. Infectious diseases spread in overcrowded displacement settings, and high-risk pregnancies increased dramatically due to dire living conditions.
Dr. Nasser Bulbol, a neonatologist at Al Helou Hospital in Gaza City, confirmed that the combination of trauma, repeated displacement, and lack of nutrition left women and newborns at extreme risk.
A 22-year-old woman from the Jabalia refugee camp said she gave birth to a son weighing barely 43 kilograms under extreme conditions in a cold tent by the sea. Her newborn suffered a severe lung infection and spent days in intensive care, while her 18-month-old child also fell ill due to the cold.
Amnesty described the erosion of women’s rights to health, safety, and dignity as “a deliberate act of war targeting women and girls,” exacerbated by Israel’s policies of mass displacement, restricted humanitarian aid, and relentless bombardment that devastated Gaza’s health system and shattered families.
This crisis has left hundreds of thousands of women and children in Gaza exposed to life-threatening conditions, with little access to care, food, or security.
