April 2, 2024

Newborns in Gaza 'too small' to survive neonatal period: WHO

April 2, 2024

Newborns in Gaza 'too small' to survive neonatal period: WHO

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Infant mortality is on the rise in the Gaza Strip, with newborns frequently being born underweight, according to reports from the World Health Organization, which references healthcare professionals working on-site.

"At various medical facilities, especially maternity hospitals, doctors are reporting a significant increase in infants born with low birth weight who do not survive the neonatal phase due to their small size," stated WHO spokesperson Margaret Harris during a briefing in Geneva.

She said that at Kamal Adwan, the only paediatric hospital in northern Gaza, “at least 15 malnourished children are coming in per day, and the needs are just getting ever more severe”.

Due to the extensive destruction in the area following six months of Israel’s offensive against Hamas, the World Health Organization (WHO) is unable to gather accurate statistics on child mortality. Harris mentioned that a considerable number of individuals do not even reach the hospital for medical care.

“If you have got an underlying condition, malnutrition will kill you much more quickly, so they become the most urgent patients,” Harris said.

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