Pregnant women in Gaza City are unable to receive obstetric care as hospitals and health clinics are being attacked, said the UN agency for reproductive health and rights, UNFPA.
Four hospitals and 23 outpatient clinics in Gaza City serve 23,000 pregnant women, with around 50 deliveries occurring every day, but most of these facilities are now at risk of imminent shutdown, UNFPA said.
Further cuts to health services heighten the risk of maternal and newborn deaths, according to the UN agency, which added that the risk is particularly grave for the 40 per cent of pregnant women suffering from severe malnutrition and for their babies, one in five of whom is born underweight or prematurely.
As pregnant women flee to the south, they try to access care in health facilities that are already running dangerously low on fuel or supplies and operating far beyond their capacity. As a result, every week in Gaza at least 15 women deliver outside a hospital or health facility without a skilled birth attendant, risking the lives of both mother and newborn.