From the operating bed to the hospice queues… Testimonies from women who lost their fetuses in Gaza | policy

Pregnant women in the Gaza Strip face deteriorating health, as food shortages, decline in medical services, water pollution, and displacement have caused high rates of miscarriages and fetal loss inside hospitals and camps.

A report by Al Jazeera Live documented testimonies of pregnant women living inside displacement tents, as a seven-month pregnant woman said that she was suffering from malnutrition, which led to her blood levels dropping to 9 degrees, which poses a threat to her life and the health of the fetus.

She added: “The necessary medical care is not available for pregnant women in the camps. We obtain folic acid tablets, iron, and vitamins with difficulty due to the siege, and obtaining painkillers requires standing in long lines and exerting physical effort. My child was born during the war and suffers from malnutrition, and I fear that the fetus will face the same fate.”

From the abortion bed to the “hospice” queues

Field testimonies illustrate the impact of food shortages on mothers, as a citizen who suffered a miscarriage due to lack of nutrition stated that after leaving the hospital, she went immediately to the aid queue to secure a meal for her children.

She said: “I had a miscarriage due to a lack of food, and hospitals are constantly receiving miscarriages, as women lose their fetuses as a result of malnutrition and difficult living conditions in the camps.”

Contaminated water and strenuous physical effort

Other testimonies link the loss of fetuses to the daily necessity of carrying water containers and transporting them on long distances, in addition to drinking unsafe water and living in unsafe conditions as a result of ongoing military operations.

The Palestinian woman said: “I lost my fetus due to the lack of food, the absence of vitamins, and drinking contaminated water. We walk long distances and carry water containers to provide drinking water for the children, then we go early to the food distribution points (hospitals) without getting it due to crowding. Repeated displacement and fear affected our health and caused miscarriages.”

Official estimates

The Palestinian Ministry of Health announced estimates showing an increase in abortion rates in the Gaza Strip to reach 70.7% during the year 2026. The Ministry indicated expectations that the abortion rate in June of this year will reach 500 cases per thousand fetuses, coinciding with the continued lack of medical care and a decline in nutrition in all regions.

The Ministry explained that about half of the pregnancies in Gaza will face complications, which will deepen the population decline crisis. She indicated that the most prominent causes of abortion in the Gaza Strip are due to acute malnutrition, the collapse of the health system, in addition to psychological pressure and harsh living conditions.