UNICEF warns of rising number of underweight births in Gaza due to maternal malnutrition

GENEVA, Switzerland (MNTV) – UNICEF Communications Manager Tess Ingram said the number of underweight babies in Gaza has risen sharply in 2025, with 10% of all births — around 300 babies a month — affected in the first half of the year.

The trend reflects a worsening cycle of maternal and infant malnutrition amid Israel’s ongoing blockade and destruction.

Ingram said the pattern shows “malnourished mothers giving birth to underweight or premature babies who die in Gaza’s neonatal units or survive only to face malnutrition or lifelong medical complications.”

Before the war, an average of 250 babies (5%) a month were born underweight in 2022, according to Gaza’s Health Ministry. But from July to September this year, the figure surged to about 460 babies per month — nearly double the pre-war average.

Amid destroyed hospitals, displaced medical staff and severe supply shortages, the number of babies dying on their first day of life increased 75% compared with 2022 — rising from 27 to 47 per month between July and September.

Ingram said 38% of screened pregnant women during that period were diagnosed with acute malnutrition. UNICEF admitted 8,300 pregnant and breastfeeding women for treatment in October alone.

“This domino effect — from mother to child — should have been prevented,” she said, noting that much of the suffering “could have been avoided if international humanitarian law had been respected.”

She urged increased aid flows into Gaza, particularly supplies supporting maternal health and hospital capacity.