60,000 pregnant women in Gaza suffering from malnutrition: Health Ministry

By Abdulsalam Fayez

GAZA, Palestine (AA) - Around 60,000 pregnant women in the Gaza Strip are suffering from malnutrition and dehydration due to Israel’s war against the enclave, the Health Ministry said Thursday.

The ministry’s statement came on the eve of International Women's Day, which falls on March 8 each year.

The ministry said that these women also lack proper health care.

It added that women make up 49% of the population of the Strip, most of them in childbearing age, with about 5,000 women giving birth monthly in harsh, unsafe and unhealthy conditions as a result of shelling and displacement.

On Feb. 19, the UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF) warned that the sharp rise in malnutrition among children, pregnant women and lactating mothers in the Gaza Strip poses a "serious threat" to their health, especially with the ongoing devastating war.

Due to the war and Israeli restrictions, Gaza's residents, especially in the Gaza and northern governorates, are on the brink of famine amid severe shortages of food, water, medicine and fuel, in addition to a health crisis due to the spread of epidemics and the weakness of medical services.

The Gaza Health Ministry, in the statement, called on the UN to immediately stop the Israeli aggression and genocide against Palestinian women and their families.

It also called on women's institutions around the world to stand by Palestinian women and mobilize efforts to demand an end to Israeli aggression.

The ministry also urged international institutions to support the living, health, psychological and social needs of Palestinian women, especially in the Gaza Strip.

On the eve of International Women's Day, the ministry announced the deaths of 9,000 Palestinian women in the Gaza Strip since Oct. 7, 2023.

Israeli army has been waging a devastating war on the Gaza Strip, resulting in tens of thousands of civilian casualties, an unprecedented humanitarian disaster and massive destruction of infrastructure and property, according to Palestinian and UN data, leading Israel to appear before the International Court of Justice in January on charges of genocide.

*Writing by Alperen Aktas from Istanbul