Gaza: Humanitarian situation a nightmare for babies, according to UN official

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Location in Gaza
UN official: “Doctors report they are no longer seeing normal-sized babies”

The situation in Gaza is particularly devastating for babies and mothers – many newborns do not survive. Here an infant is being treated at Al-Aqsa Martyrs Hospital in Deir al-Balah

© Ashraf Amra/ / Picture Alliance

The ongoing war in the Gaza Strip is making the humanitarian situation worse. Mothers and babies in particular suffer under the circumstances. There are more and more deaths among newborns.

The humanitarian situation in the Gaza is a “nightmare” for mothers and babies, according to a United Nations official. He is leaving the Gaza Strip this week with great concern for the one million women and girls and especially for the 180 women a day who give birth, said Dominic Allen of the UNFPA population fund on Friday at a video conference in Jerusalem. He spoke of a “nightmare” that is “much more than a humanitarian crisis.”

“Doctors report that they are no longer seeing normal-sized babies,” Allen said after visiting hospitals. “However, tragically, what they are seeing is more stillbirths (…) and more newborn deaths.” These are partly due to malnutrition, dehydration and complications.

War in Gaza: Nightmare for mothers and babies

The war in the Gaza Strip was triggered by Hamas’ major attack on Israel on October 7th, in which, according to Israeli information, around 1,160 people were killed and around 250 others were kidnapped as hostages in the Gaza Strip. Since then, Israel has taken massive military action in the Gaza Strip. According to the Hamas-controlled Ministry of Health, which cannot be independently verified, more than 31,400 people have been killed so far.

rha
AFP

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