Gaza conflict fuels rise in premature births and orphan crisis

The war in Gaza has caused a sharp increase in premature births, with many newborns requiring intensive neonatal care at Al‑Aqsa Martyrs Hospital in Deir el‑Balah. UNICEF warns that one in five infants now needs such support, attributing the surge to maternal malnutrition, psychological stress and disrupted prenatal services. Mothers like Noor Salem, who lost a previous child during the 2025 famine, are left caring for infants in incubators under dire conditions.

At the same time, the death toll and widespread displacement have produced an orphan crisis of unprecedented scale. Dr Tareq Emtairah of the Palestinian NGO Taawon reports that close to 60,000 children – about six percent of Gaza’s child population – have lost one or both parents since the conflict began in October 2023. With basic services such as schools, health centres and nurseries destroyed, Taawon is currently caring for roughly 21,000 orphaned children, highlighting the profound humanitarian fallout of the war.