Gaza Herald – A new medical report by Médecins Sans Frontières (Doctors Without Borders) highlights severe consequences of the ongoing food crisis in the Gaza Strip, linking Israel’s blockade and restrictions on food and medicine to a sharp deterioration in maternal and neonatal health. The organization warns that pregnant and breastfeeding women, along with newborns, are among the most affected, with rising rates of premature births, miscarriages, and infant deaths recorded throughout the Israeli genocide.
According to the report, compiled from clinical data in several Gaza medical facilities between late 2024 and early 2026, malnutrition has reached catastrophic levels. Over half of the pregnant women treated were found to be suffering from malnutrition, while a significant portion remained in a weakened nutritional state up to delivery, directly impacting maternal and infant outcomes.
Medical findings show that 90% of babies born to malnourished mothers were premature, and 84% had dangerously low birth weight. The report also documents a marked increase in neonatal mortality rates among infants exposed to maternal malnutrition, underscoring the lethal impact of food deprivation on early life survival.
The organization attributes this crisis to prolonged restrictions on food, water, and essential supplies, alongside widespread displacement and the collapse of Gaza’s healthcare infrastructure. Continuous insecurity and repeated forced movements have further disrupted access to treatment programs, leaving many women and children unable to complete essential nutritional care.
Between October 2024 and December 2025, hundreds of infants were enrolled in emergency nutrition programs, yet recovery rates remained limited, with significant numbers either defaulting from treatment due to displacement or dying despite medical intervention. The report notes that malnutrition cases were virtually absent in Gaza before the escalation of the war.
Doctors Without Borders concludes that the current conditions reflect a deliberately engineered humanitarian collapse, calling for immediate and unconditional access for food, medical aid, and nutritional supplies. The organization warns that without urgent intervention, Gaza’s maternal and child health system risks complete breakdown, with long-term consequences for an entire generation.
