Translated with AI
Mothers forced to go hungry for long periods in the Gaza Strip are giving birth to premature and underweight babies who die in intensive care units or desperately fight for life, the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) has warned.
At least 165 children have died "painful and preventable deaths" related to malnutrition, UNICEF communications manager Tess Ingram said Tuesday via video link from the war-torn enclave.
"Severe malnutrition among pregnant and breastfeeding women is having a devastating knock-on effect on thousands of newborns," noted the UNICEF representative. She added that Gaza hospitals are seeing babies weighing less than one kilogram. Low-birth-weight babies die at approximately 20 times the rate of normal-weight babies.
According to the organization, before the war in Gaza, an average of 250 babies were born each month weighing less than 2.5 kilograms, representing approximately five percent of all newborns. In the first half of 2025, this figure increased to 10 percent.
"Low birth weight is typically caused by poor maternal nutrition, increased stress, and limited prenatal care," Ingram emphasized. "In Gaza, we see a combination of all three, and the response to this situation is too slow and insufficient."
UNICEF notes that in October 2025 alone, 8,300 pregnant and breastfeeding women were hospitalized for treatment of acute malnutrition in Gaza. The fund representative added that the current trend indicates that low-birth-weight babies will continue to be born in the enclave for many months to come.
The UN is responding to the crisis by supplying incubators, ventilators, and other vital medical equipment destroyed during the conflict. UNICEF is also providing tens of thousands of pregnant and breastfeeding women with high-calorie supplements to prevent malnutrition and screening children for acute malnutrition, including them in treatment programs.
The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) said the delivery of aid to the most vulnerable populations faces persistent obstacles, including security concerns, customs delays and denial of goods through checkpoints.
According to Ingram, opening the Rafah border crossing in southern Gaza could increase the flow of humanitarian aid and reduce the number of children suffering from malnutrition. She emphasized the need for a continuous flow of all types of aid, especially nutritious foods, through commercial channels to ensure local markets are well-stocked, prices are lower, and fruits, vegetables, meat, and dairy products are accessible to families.
A UNICEF representative noted that the two-month ceasefire "was meant to bring safety to families, not further losses." More than 70 children have been killed in Gaza since the ceasefire began on October 10.
"Entire generations, including those born during the current ceasefire, will be forever traumatized by what they have experienced," Ingram said.
