Arabic version: الأطفال الخدّج يواجهون رعاية مثقلة بالضغوط في وسط غزة
According to Al Jazeera, premature births, underweight newborns, stillbirths and birth defects have risen sharply in Gaza since October 7, 2023, placing additional pressure on neonatal services already facing shortages. UNICEF has repeatedly warned that one in five newborns in Gaza requires intensive neonatal or thermal care.
At Al-Aqsa Martyrs Hospital in Deir el-Balah, Noor Salem waits beside an incubator for her son, Yazan Al-Khalidi, who was born in the eighth month of pregnancy and experienced breathing difficulties after birth. Salem said she had lost her first baby shortly after birth during the famine in Gaza in 2025 and feared losing another child. Yazan was transferred to the neonatal intensive care unit rather than being held by his mother immediately after birth.
Dr Afnan Abu Hasaballah, an obstetrician and gynecologist working with UNRWA and Al-Awda Health Hospital in Nuseirat refugee camp, said repeated displacement, lack of food and clean water, limited prenatal care, and psychological stress have increased the risk of premature birth. She said inadequate nutrition can also contribute to anemia, exhaustion, pregnancy complications and restricted fetal growth.
Al-Aqsa Martyrs Hospital is the only hospital with a neonatal unit in central Gaza, serving thousands of expectant mothers. Abu Hasaballah said staff have worked with shortages of incubators, ventilators, medications and basic supplies, alongside repeated power and fuel shortages. Premature babies need continuous monitoring, oxygen, respiratory support, nutrition and treatment; when these are unavailable, risks include breathing problems, infections, low body temperature and low blood sugar.
Families face further difficulties after discharge, as displaced households may lack baby clothes, diapers, blankets, formula and clean water. In Nuseirat, Qutoof Al-Khair Foundation provides vitamins, nutritional supplements, medicines and medical supplies for pregnant women and newborns. Its head, Akram Abu Jiab, said demand is growing while available support falls far short of needs.
