Doctors across Gaza are reporting a sharp rise in premature births, with UNICEF warning that roughly one in five newborns now needs intensive neonatal or thermal care. Maternal malnutrition, displacement, and the collapse of prenatal health services have combined to put babies in Gaza at extraordinary risk before they even take their first breath.
Background
Gaza UNICEF officials have been sounding the alarm on newborn health since the war began in October 2023, but the crisis has deepened rather than eased. Maternal malnutrition, prolonged psychological stress, and declining prenatal care have all taken a toll on both mothers and their babies across the territory.
Before the war, Gaza had eight functioning neonatal intensive care units with a combined 178 incubators. Years of bombardment, fuel shortages, and damage to hospitals have left that system severely diminished, forcing multiple critically ill infants to share single incubators meant for one baby at a time.
The global “Born Too Soon” report, first published by the World Health Organization and UNICEF over a decade ago, has long tracked preterm birth rates worldwide. Gaza’s current numbers now sit far above global averages, driven by conditions doctors say are almost entirely preventable under normal circumstances.
Details
At Al-Aqsa Martyrs Hospital in Deir el-Balah, mothers stand beside incubators watching their babies breathe through tubes and monitors, unable to hold them in the way most new parents expect. Many infants are born with breathing difficulties and are rushed straight into neonatal intensive care rather than into their mother’s arms.
Doctors working with international medical organizations in Gaza describe treating premature infants without basic diagnostic tools such as ultrasounds or X-ray machines. Fuel shortages regularly disrupt hospital generators, and oxygen-dependent newborns are especially vulnerable whenever the power supply is interrupted, even briefly.
UNICEF has reported that at least 4,000 babies were cut off from essential newborn care over the past year due to attacks on hospitals, electricity shortages, and inadequate fuel supplies, with the impact falling hardest on facilities in northern Gaza. Some newborns weigh less than one kilogram at birth, a weight associated with a dramatically higher risk of death.
Malnutrition among pregnant and breastfeeding women has become a defining feature of this crisis. Some mothers have described surviving on little more than roasted, ground wheat mixed with spices for months during pregnancy, with body weights dropping to levels that would be considered dangerously low under any circumstances.
Babies in Gaza survive premature birth often face further complications, including jaundice and low birth weight, conditions that are typically manageable with standard neonatal care but become far more dangerous without reliable equipment, clean water, or a stable place to recover.
Quotes
UNICEF Communication Manager Tess Ingram, speaking from Gaza, described encountering newborns weighing less than one kilogram, their small chests straining with every breath, according to UN reporting on the crisis.
A UNICEF regional director for the Middle East and North Africa said newborns in incubators are entirely dependent on specialist medical staff and functioning equipment simply to survive.
An obstetrician working with UNRWA in the Nuseirat refugee camp said many pregnant women arrive at hospital already suffering from severe stress and physical exhaustion, a pattern she has observed repeatedly throughout the crisis.
Impact
The consequences of Gaza’s newborn health crisis extend well beyond individual hospitals. Health officials and international organizations have consistently warned that Gaza’s healthcare system, already severely constrained before the war, is now struggling to meet even the most basic needs of pregnant women and newborn babies.
Globally, the crisis has drawn renewed attention to how armed conflict affects the most vulnerable, non-combatant populations, pregnant women and infants who have no role in the fighting itself. Aid organizations including UNICEF, the World Health Organization, and Médecins Sans Frontières have repeatedly called for expanded access to fuel, medical equipment, and clean water for Gaza’s hospitals.
A ceasefire that took effect in October 2025 let UNICEF and partner organizations, including the King Salman Humanitarian Aid and Relief Centre, start restoring some newborn care infrastructure across the territory. That’s brought limited relief, though healthcare workers caution that rebuilding a functioning neonatal care system will take considerably longer than replacing individual pieces of equipment.
For families, the emotional toll compounds the medical one. Parents describe watching their infants fight for survival in overcrowded facilities, unsure whether the recovery they hope for will actually be reachable given the shortages still affecting hospitals across Gaza.
Conclusion
With premature birth rates in Gaza still far above pre-war levels, humanitarian organizations say sustained investment in maternal and newborn healthcare will be essential regardless of how the broader conflict evolves. Continued fuel access, functioning equipment, and adequate nutrition for pregnant women remain the most immediate priorities identified by aid groups working on the ground.
Whether the partial rebuilding efforts since the 2025 ceasefire can keep pace with ongoing needs is still an open question. For now, babies in Gaza keep being born into conditions medical professionals describe as far more precarious than almost anywhere else in the world.
Frequently Asked Questions
Has a 20-week fetus ever survived?
Medically, 20 weeks of gestation falls below what is generally considered the threshold of viability, which most neonatal specialists place at around 21 to 22 weeks at the very earliest, and even then survival rates remain low and require highly advanced neonatal intensive care. There have been a small number of extraordinarily rare, well-documented cases of infants surviving birth at 21 weeks with intensive, specialized medical intervention, but survival at exactly 20 weeks is essentially unprecedented in verified medical literature. This is part of why access to functioning neonatal intensive care units, incubators, and specialist staff, the very resources described as scarce in Gaza, is so critical for babies born extremely prematurely anywhere in the world.
Is it okay if a baby is born 4 weeks early?
Babies born around four weeks early, generally considered “late preterm” at roughly 34 to 36 weeks of gestation, often do well with appropriate monitoring, though they can still face a higher risk of complications compared to full-term infants. Common issues include difficulty regulating body temperature, feeding challenges, jaundice, and mild breathing difficulties, most of which are manageable with standard hospital care and monitoring in a properly equipped facility. Parents of babies born at this stage are typically advised to follow their pediatrician’s guidance closely during the first few weeks, since even late preterm infants benefit significantly from consistent medical observation during the newborn period.
Is Ali Fazal Indian or Pakistani?
Ali Fazal is an Indian actor, born in Lucknow, India, and known for his roles in Bollywood films as well as international productions. This question is unrelated to Gaza’s newborn health crisis, and readers searching for information about the actor may want to look for content specifically covering his career and filmography rather than this article.
