The Palestinian Ministry of Health in the Gaza Strip has released its annual report on maternal and child health for 2025, presenting health and humanitarian indicators that reveal the devastating impact on women and children of Israel’s wa
The Palestinian Ministry of Health in the Gaza Strip has released its annual report on maternal and child health for 2025, presenting health and humanitarian indicators that reveal the devastating impact on women and children of Israel’s war on Gaza, the destruction of the healthcare system, the demolition of hospitals, and worsening economic and nutritional conditions.
The Ministry of Health’s Information Center said on Thursday that the report documents the actual state of reproductive health services, family planning, pregnancy and childbirth care, and newborn care during an exceptional and unprecedented year. The period was marked by repeated displacement, a severe decline in the capacity of healthcare facilities to provide services, widespread food insecurity, and a sharp deterioration in humanitarian conditions.
According to the report, 10,899 women of reproductive age were killed and another 17,469 were injured during 2025, highlighting the devastating toll of the war and its consequences on women in the Gaza Strip. Another indicator of the crisis was the recording of 50,227 live births during the year, representing a decline of approximately 9 percent compared with 2022. Meanwhile, primary healthcare centres affiliated with the Ministry of Health recorded 7,402 high-risk pregnancies, underscoring the serious challenges facing pregnant women amid deteriorating healthcare and economic conditions.
Health indicators showed that 52.2 percent of pregnant women in Gaza suffer from anaemia, with the rate rising to 85 percent among women after childbirth. The report attributed the situation to shortages of food and nutritional supplements, as well as reduced access to essential medical care. Regarding newborn health, the report stated that 6,182 newborns, accounting for 12.3 percent of all babies born during the year, required admission to neonatal intensive care units. The neonatal mortality rate stood at 9.1 deaths per 1,000 live births, with 61.7 percent of these deaths occurring during the first week after birth.
These figures illustrate the extensive risks facing mothers and their children from early pregnancy through childbirth and the postnatal period. Healthcare facilities are struggling with shortages of medical resources and equipment while attempting to provide even the most basic services amid the widespread destruction of the health sector. The Ministry of Health highlighted that, following the destruction of hospitals and the shutdown of many facilities, 98.4 percent of births took place in healthcare centers operating under severe pressure and with limited capacity. This has increased the burden on the remaining facilities and weakened the healthcare system’s ability to meet the growing needs of mothers and newborns.
The report warned that the consequences of food deprivation extend beyond women’s health to affect fetuses and newborns. Deteriorating maternal nutrition, combined with difficulties obtaining adequate food and specialized medical care, increases health risks during pregnancy and after childbirth.
The Ministry of Health appealed to local and international partners and the global community to take urgent action to protect healthcare facilities, ensure the delivery of medicines, nutritional supplements and medical equipment, and fully restore maternal and child health services to reduce the threats facing women and children in the region. The report comes amid Israel’s ongoing devastating war on the Gaza Strip, which began on October 7, 2023. The conflict has involved widespread killings, starvation, destruction, displacement and arrests, severely damaging infrastructure and healthcare facilities. International warnings about the worsening humanitarian crisis have continued.
The war has left more than 250,000 Palestinians killed or injured, the majority of them women and children. More than 11,000 people are also reported missing, while millions have been displaced. A severe food crisis has claimed numerous lives; most of them children, and cities and residential areas across the Gaza Strip have suffered extensive destruction. Amid rising death tolls, worsening malnutrition indicators and the collapse of medical services, the report exposes the harsh health realities confronting mothers and children in Gaza. Pregnancy and childbirth—experiences that should mark the beginning of life—have become perilous journeys due to shortages of essential resources and dwindling access to basic healthcare.
