Doctors in Gaza are reporting unprecedented numbers of miscarriages, premature births and babies born with severe congenital abnormalities as the conflict enters its third year, with the Palestinian health ministry recording 3,958 miscarriages during the first six months of 2026 alone. The figures come amid what medical officials describe as a collapse of prenatal care infrastructure, widespread malnutrition affecting 70 percent of pregnant women, and conditions in displacement camps that leave nearly two million Palestinians struggling to access basic medical services.
Dr Adnan Radi, head of the Palestinian health ministry's advisory committee and a senior consultant in obstetrics and gynaecology, described the figure as "shocking." He said, "Official statistics, whether from international organisations or the Ministry of Health, undercount the true scale, but there is an undeniable and sharp surge in miscarriages during the war years." Radi said the ministry indicated the rate could be as high as 70 percent of total births in certain areas.
The Medical Picture
Sahar al-Majdalawi, a 34-year-old displaced Palestinian woman, lost her pregnancy after seven years of trying to conceive. A month after learning she was pregnant, she began suffering agonising abdominal pain. With roads in Gaza destroyed and transport brought to a standstill by Israeli bombing, she walked for hours to the nearest hospital with her husband and reached Al-Awda Hospital in the Nuseirat refugee camp in central Gaza. Doctors performed an ultrasound and told her, "The foetus is still in your womb, but there is no heartbeat." Majdalawi said, "At that moment, it felt as though my own heart stopped beating. I realised I had lost the dream I had waited years to fulfil."
She said, "Deep down, I know the war caused this. I was displaced countless times, my body was completely exhausted, and I suffered five injuries in separate air strikes." Majdalawi said, "I endured famine in northern Gaza, lost weight, and my health deteriorated." She also said, "On top of that came the psychological torment of losing our home when our neighbourhood was bombed." Majdalawi and her husband now live in a tent in Nuseirat refugee camp after their home in Jabalia was destroyed. She said returning to the area is impossible because it lies near the Israeli military's "Yellow Line."
Conditions in Displacement Camps
Although a ceasefire was declared in October, intermittent Israeli bombing and expulsion orders continue. Nearly two million displaced Palestinians in Gaza are struggling to cope with life inside tents. Majdalawi said, "My husband did everything he could to make life in the tent easier so my pregnancy would go smoothly. But there is only so much anyone can do." She said, "Imagine sleeping on a paper-thin mattress on uneven ground inside a flimsy tent baking in the summer heat. Sometimes I feel my heart will stop because of how hot it gets. My back aches constantly." She also said, "Not a day passes without the thunder of bombardment or the buzz of the quadcopter drones overhead. Sometimes they even open fire. It keeps me in a constant state of psychological distress."
Majdalawi's husband lost his job because of the war, leaving the couple dependent on charity kitchens for free meals. She said, "Buying fruit, vegetables or fresh meat regularly is impossible without money." Unemployment exceeds 80 percent and poverty is nearing 100 percent, according to the World Bank. Most families rely almost entirely on food aid, largely consisting of rice, beans, lentils, pasta and canned meat.
Malnutrition and Environmental Toxicity
Radi said, "Anaemia plays a critical role. Around 70 percent of pregnant women in Gaza are suffering from severe anaemia, compounded by widespread malnutrition." The Integrated Food Security Phase Classification warned last week that around 67 percent of Gaza's population, an estimated 1.4 million people, faces critical or worse levels of acute food insecurity through December. It estimated that nearly 25,000 pregnant and breastfeeding women will require urgent nutritional support over the coming year.
Radi also pointed to infectious diseases, contaminated water, poor sanitation and exposure to toxic dust generated by thousands of tonnes of explosives dropped by the Israeli military. He said, "Although comprehensive studies are lacking, there is a clear link between environmental toxicity, malnutrition, anaemia and the rise in miscarriages and premature births." He added that toxic residues from bombardment could have lasting effects on future generations by altering the genetic landscape.
Rising Birth Abnormalities
Radi said, "We have seen a sharp increase in premature births before 26 weeks of pregnancy." He also said, "In recent months, we have observed a drastic increase in severe foetal abnormalities." He said, "In previous years, seeing a baby born without limbs or feet was an extremely rare occurrence. Now, it has become a recurring phenomenon in delivery wards." Hospitals face a critical shortage of neonatal intensive care beds, leaving premature babies with a far lower chance of survival. In February, Unicef reported that nearly one in five newborns in Gaza required intensive care or thermal incubation due to maternal malnutrition, chronic stress and a lack of prenatal care.
Majdalawi said, "I don't know when the day will come when I can hold my baby in my arms without the terrifying fear of losing them or seeing them born with deformities."
Why This Matters:
The collapse of prenatal care in Gaza reveals the humanitarian cost of prolonged conflict in densely populated civilian areas where basic infrastructure has been destroyed. The 3,958 miscarriages recorded in just six months represent not only individual tragedies but a broader public health crisis that will affect Gaza's population for years. With 70 percent of pregnant women suffering severe anaemia, 67 percent of the population facing critical food insecurity, and hospitals unable to provide neonatal intensive care, the conditions that produce these outcomes won't resolve quickly even if fighting stops entirely. The long-term effects of toxic exposure from bombardment and chronic malnutrition may alter health outcomes for an entire generation. Without functioning governance, economic recovery, and restored medical infrastructure, Gaza's maternal and infant mortality rates will remain at crisis levels regardless of ceasefire agreements.