4,600 pregnant women, 380 newborns require medical care in Gaza: UN agency

ISTANBUL

Around 4,600 displaced pregnant women and 380 newborn babies require medical attention in the Gaza Strip, the UN Palestinian Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) said late Thursday.

“Many newborn babies are calling UNRWA shelters in Gaza their first home,” it said on X.

The UN agency said it works “to provide postnatal care - but conditions at shelters are not suitable for newborns.”

Citing the UN Population Fund (UNFPA), UNRWA said there are 50,000 pregnant women in the Gaza Strip and more than 180 are giving birth every day.

At least 10,812 Palestinians, including 4,412 children and 2,918 women, have been killed in Israeli air and ground attacks in the Gaza Strip since a cross-border attack by the Palestinian group Hamas on Oct. 7.

The Israeli death toll is nearing 1,600, according to official figures.