'Israel' targets reproductive capacity in Gaza: Report

• 'Israel' attacks in Gaza target reproductive capacity, causing catastrophic impacts on mothers and newborns.
• Reports indicate a 41% drop in births, rising maternal and infant mortality, and systematic destruction of health services.

'Israel’s' war on the Gaza Strip has extended to newborns and mothers, causing devastating effects on pregnant women, infants, and maternity care, according to the Guardian.

The Guardian highlighted what it described as a “clear intent to erode the Palestinian population demographically” through attacks aimed at dismantling its reproductive capacity.

Reports by Physicians for Human Rights, in collaboration with the Human Rights Clinic at the University of Chicago Law School, documented a 41% decline in births, increases in maternal deaths, miscarriages, neonatal deaths, and preterm births directly linked to the war.

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The studies describe forced births under dangerous conditions, systematic dismantling of health services, and consequences amounting to “deliberate intent to prevent births among Palestinians, consistent with the legal standards for genocide.”

Between January and June 2025, the organization recorded roughly 2,600 abortions, 220 pregnancy-related deaths, 1,460 premature births, over 1,700 low-weight infants, and more than 2,500 newborns requiring intensive care. Lama Bakri of the organization said, “These figures mark a shocking deterioration from pre-war conditions and result directly from the trauma of war, famine, displacement, and the collapse of maternal healthcare.”

Healthcare collapse and maternal suffering

The report noted that Gaza’s healthcare system has been systematically dismantled since October 2023, with hospitals, ambulances, and medical staff targeted. Blockades and ongoing bombardment have cut supply lines and restricted movement between facilities, accelerating public health collapse.

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Mothers face life-threatening choices to provide basic needs for their children amid fuel shortages, medical supply interruptions, mass displacement, and ongoing attacks, often relying on overcrowded tent camps.

These conditions put mothers, unborn children, newborns, and breastfeeding infants at severe risk, with long-term demographic implications expected for generations.

UN and international figures

UN Women estimates more than 6,000 mothers were killed in the first six months of the war, an average of two per hour, while approximately 150,000 pregnant and nursing women were forcibly displaced, according to OCHA. Gaza’s Health Ministry reported 391 women underwent amputations since October 7, out of 4,500 cases, while 17,000 births were recorded in early 2025, a 41% drop from the same period in 2022.

The Guardian highlighted that 'Israel’s' attacks aim to dismantle the Palestinian community’s reproductive capacity. The Basma IVF center was hit in 2024, destroying roughly 5,000 reproductive samples and halting 70–100 monthly fertilization procedures. An independent UN inquiry concluded the strike deliberately targeted Palestinian reproductive capacity, constituting a serious violation of international law.

Ongoing humanitarian crisis

Despite a ceasefire in October, child deaths continue. UNICEF spokesperson James Elder said over 100 children have died since the truce, including six from hypothermia during winter.

Gaza remains highly dangerous, with intermittent airstrikes, gunfire, and recent storms causing deaths and flooding in already overcrowded camps, worsening the humanitarian crisis.

Since October 7, 2023, 'Israel', with US and European support, has committed genocide in Gaza, including killings, starvation, destruction, displacement, and mass arrests, ignoring international appeals and ICJ orders.

The attacks left over 242,000 Palestinians dead or injured, mostly children and women, more than 11,000 missing, hundreds of thousands displaced, widespread famine, and the near-total destruction of Gaza’s cities and regions.