GAZA CITY, Palestine / ISTANBUL

Palestinian doctor Ruba Al-Madhoun is spending her days following up on pregnant women admitted to Al Helou International Hospital in Gaza City in difficult health conditions.

Many of these women carry underweight fetuses in their wombs due to hunger imposed on Gazans by Israel, which leads to malnutrition and anemia, and poses mental and physical threats to the fetuses.

According to Gaza’s government media office, more than 60,000 pregnant women face difficulty in finding the minimum amount of food amid worsening starvation in the enclave.

“Pregnant women must consume a balanced diet of nutrients found in fruits and vegetables for their babies’ physical and mental growth and development,” Madhoun told Anadolu.

“But this is difficult to achieve for pregnant women amid this famine, leading to lower than normal fetal weights,” she said.

Madhoun, an obstetrician and gynecologist, said many pregnant women experience serious health complications that often lead to premature births.

“Premature birth increases the risk to fetuses, especially those with low birth weight, as they face a crisis of limited resources and incubators, which can increase the mortality rate among newborns,” she said.

On Sunday, UN World Food Programme (WFP) Executive Director Cindy McCain warned that half a million people in Gaza are "extremely food insecure" and at risk of famine.

Health risks

The Palestinian doctor warned that malnutrition can also lead to an incomplete pregnancy or the death of the baby.

“This all can be avoided by providing vitamins and nutritional supplements, but this is extremely rare amid this starvation,” she added.

Gaza’s government media office reported at least 300 miscarriages due to the lack of necessary nutrients as a result of the Israeli blockade on the enclave since early March.

"The longer the famine lasts, the more fetuses will need incubators after birth," Madhoun said.

She said blood analysis tests for the majority of pregnant women show a significant blood deficiency below the minimum, which endangers their lives in case of bleeding during the delivery.

Emaciation

Asmahan Muhaisen, 38, a six-month pregnant lady, suffers from anemia due to the lack of food, nutritional supplements, and vitamins.

“The available food in the markets is sold at very high prices, and we can’t buy it due to our dire economic conditions,” she told Anadolu.

“My baby is underweight as a result of malnutrition and my anemia.”

Asmahan fears that her cesarean surgery wounds will not heal after delivery due to her anemia and malnutrition.

At the hospital, Souad al-Ghandour, 63, is waiting with her pregnant daughter to meet a doctor.

“All pregnant women suffer from malnutrition, which causes them to become generally weak,” she told Anadolu.

She said the repeated displacement of Palestinians by Israel causes the emaciation of pregnant women, as they spend long hours on foot without any support.

“Pregnant women live in difficult living conditions, lacking basic necessities or hygiene supplies, which increases their risk of contracting various diseases,” she said.

"Pregnancy, hunger, lack of food, and lack of care – this is terrible. No one (around the world) experiences what we experience in Gaza."

Rejecting international calls for a ceasefire, the Israeli army has pursued a brutal offensive against Gaza since October 2023, killing more than 54,100 Palestinians, most of them women and children.

The International Criminal Court issued arrest warrants last November for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant for war crimes and crimes against humanity in Gaza.

Israel also faces a genocide case at the International Court of Justice for its war on the enclave.