The head of the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) said on Wednesday that the conflict in Gaza is causing pregnant women to give birth prematurely and is also impeding their access to maternal healthcare. “Pregnant women and their newborn babies are some of the unseen victims of the current crisis in Gaza with some 170 women giving birth in Gaza each day. The UNFPA is alarmed at reports of premature labor and delivery resulting from shock and trauma from continuing bombing,” said UNFPA Executive Director Thora Ahmed Obaid in a statement. The agency also noted that the well-being of newborns is threatened because of the current hostilities. “The UNFPA is also concerned by the exposure of premature and newborn infants to hypothermia due to the lack of electricity, warm clothing and blankets among the displaced.” With hospitals overflowing because of the rising casualty rate—more than 4,500 people have been wounded so far, according to the U.N.—maternal health centers and delivery wards have been converted into emergency and surgery rooms, the UNFPA notes. “Most pregnant women are unable to leave their homes or shelters to access maternity care facilities or delivery services. Even those who can make it to hospitals are unable to receive proper care as delivery wards are turned into survival facilities to treat the wounded” the statement said. Meanwhile, the United Nations Children's Fund released a statement on Tuesday expressing its concern on the effects the Israeli offensive is having on children. “Each day more children are being hurt, their small bodies wounded, their young lives shattered. These are not just cold figures. They talk of children's lives interrupted. No human being can watch this without being moved. No parent can witness this and not see their own child. This is tragic. This is unacceptable,” the statement said. “Only when there is a cessation of hostilities can children begin the long journey back to a semblance of what is the most fundamental right of a child, the right to a life free from physical and mental violence,” the statement added.
