Premature births surge in Gaza as Israel's war endangers mothers.

Born too soon: Premature babies fight for survival in Gaza. Israel's genocidal war on Gaza is causing a surge in premature births and endangering mothers' health. Noor Salem, 30, stands beside an incubator at a neonatal intensive care unit in central Gaza, where her baby, Yazan Al-Khalidi, lies attached to tubes and monitors. She watches his tiny body behind a sheet of quartz glass, tracking his meagre breathing and the slightest movement he makes.

Yazan was born eight months into Noor's pregnancy, his body appearing bluish in the first moments of life. This required immediate transfer to the neonatal intensive care unit at Al-Aqsa Martyrs Hospital in Deir el-Balah, after it became apparent that Yazan was born with breathing issues. Instead of being able to hold her baby in the first moments after his birth, Noor is now forced to sit by the incubator and wait for Yazan's condition to improve.

Yazan is Noor's second child, having lost her first baby shortly after birth during the famine in Gaza in 2025, brought about by Israel's ongoing genocide in the enclave. During her pregnancy with Yazan, she endured shortages of basic necessities and a constant fear of losing another child. "I was afraid throughout my pregnancy because I had already lost my baby before. I was afraid I would go through the same pain again," she said.

"When he was born, and I saw that he was not moving or crying like other babies, I felt terrified. I did not know what would happen to him. All I wanted was for him to survive." Noor waits for daily updates from doctors, hoping Yazan will overcome his health difficulties and return to her arms.

Rising premature births in Gaza. There has been a sharp increase in premature births and underweight newborns, as well as stillbirths and birth defects, since the genocide in Gaza began on October 7, 2023. UNICEF has repeatedly warned about a crisis in premature births in Gaza, with one in every five newborns requiring intensive neonatal or thermal care.

The toll on mothers and children in Gaza is visible in every statistic that matters. Maternal malnutrition, relentless psychological stress, and crumbling prenatal care services have all hit home. Dr Afnan Abu Hasaballah, an obstetrician and gynecologist with UNRWA and Al-Awda Health Hospital in the Nuseirat refugee camp, has seen it firsthand. She treats pregnant women whose health is already fractured by repeated displacement, bombings, and a total deprivation of essential goods.

Many arrive at hospitals exhausted and terrified. The fear never ends. There is no food. Clean water is gone. Prenatal care feels like a distant memory. Dr Abu Hasaballah says these conditions spike the risk of premature birth. The Israeli siege on Gaza drives severe malnutrition, creating a perfect storm for expectant mothers and their fetuses. Premature babies are born with low birthweights and often need intensive care immediately. Inadequate nutrition also fuels anemia, leaves mothers drained, triggers pregnancy complications, and restricts fetal growth.

"We were working under enormous pressure," Dr Abu Hasaballah states. Shortages of incubators, ventilators, medications, and basic supplies make survival a gamble. Power cuts and fuel shortages pose a direct threat to babies inside incubators. Al-Aqsa Martyrs Hospital stands as the only facility in central Gaza with a neonatal unit. It serves thousands of expectant mothers while health workers fight against impossible odds.

Premature infants require constant monitoring, oxygen, respiratory support, proper nutrition, and treatment. Health staff often lack the time or resources to deliver this care fully. "When these resources become unavailable, the risk of serious complications increases," she explains. Breathing difficulties, dropping body temperature, infections, and low blood sugar loom over every shift.

"Unfortunately, we may lose babies who could have survived if they had received basic care."

The separation of mothers from their newborns shortly after birth is one of the hardest experiences families endure. This abrupt split causes immense anxiety for both mother and child. The most common question doctors face is whether a baby will survive. They do everything to reassure the parents and save the children. Instead of holding them and celebrating, mothers watch their infants transferred directly to an incubator or intensive care unit. Their fear doubles because the war has destroyed medical equipment, cut off electricity, and packed hospitals with too many bodies.

"We continued working day and night without sleep," Dr Abu Hasaballah says. "We did everything we could to save every child, but in many cases, the babies' needs were greater than the resources available."

Once parents and babies are discharged, a new struggle begins for families. They face a landscape where a mother's health has been permanently impacted by the deprivations and stresses of war.

Sterilisation kits are gone. Baby formula costs too much for most people. Mothers have lost everything because they were forced to leave their homes. They walk away with nothing but the clothes on their backs, no diapers, no blankets, and certainly no clean water or milk for their infants. Dr Abu Hasaballah watches this happen every day.

In Nuseirat refugee camp right in central Gaza, the Qutoof Al-Khair Foundation is trying to fill the void. They hand out vitamins, nutritional supplements, medicine, and whatever medical supplies they can find. Akram Abu Jiab runs the group. He says his team is drowning in requests from pregnant women and new moms who simply cannot get enough food or care for their kids.

Premature babies need constant attention. They need to stay under medical watch even after leaving the incubator. Yet families are failing to meet these basic needs. The foundation reaches as many mothers as they can, but there is a hard limit to how far anyone can push.

The number of people who need help is massive. The resources available are tiny. The gap keeps widening by the hour. Behind every single baby born in Gaza stands a mother fighting for her child under impossible conditions. Helping them right now isn't a nice-to-have option. It is the only way to save the next generation.