UNICEF: Gaza’s children bear the scars of war even before they open their eyes to the world

This was stated by the organization’s communications director, Tess Ingram, who spoke today, Tuesday, from the Gaza Strip to journalists in Geneva. She said that during the war, at least 165 children were reported to have died – “A painful, avoidable death linked to malnutrition,” However, the extent of malnutrition among pregnant and breastfeeding women has not been adequately reported. “And the devastating cascading effect this has had on thousands of newborns.”

She said she met many newborns in Gaza hospitals “Weighing less than one kilogram, their small chests are breathing with great difficulty trying to stay alive.”

Ms. Ingram has spent several months in Gaza over the past two years, where she has seen and heard “The intergenerational effects of conflict are on mothers and their infants almost daily; in hospitals, nutrition clinics and family tents. It is less visible than blood or injuries, but it is everywhere.”

Common story

Underweight babies are about 20 times more likely to die than babies of normal weight, and require special care, which many hospitals in Gaza have struggled to provide amid the devastation of the health system.

Despite the declining birth rate, UNICEF data showed that the number of babies who died on their first day increased by 75 percent – from an average of 27 babies per month in 2022 to 47 babies per month between July and September 2025.

Not all of these cases can be traced back to premature birth or low birth weight, Ms. Ingram said. “But along with the increase in birth defects, doctors tell me this is a common story.”

added: “Low birth weight usually results from poor maternal nutrition, increased maternal stress, and limited prenatal care. In Gaza, we are witnessing all three of these phenomena, and the response is neither fast enough nor of the required magnitude.”

Ongoing crisis

The UNICEF official said that large numbers of pregnant women are receiving treatment for malnutrition so far, adding that “This pattern is a serious warning and will likely lead to low-birth-weight babies being born in Gaza in the coming months.”

UNICEF is working to replace destroyed incubators, ventilators and other life-saving equipment, and provided nutritional supplements to more than 45,000 pregnant and lactating women to prevent malnutrition during the ceasefire period. It also examined more than 150,000 children under the age of five to detect acute malnutrition, and included more than 14,000 children in treatment programs.

In this context, Ms. Ingram said: “We are doing our best to support families. But to improve the response, more aid must enter the Gaza Strip, especially aid that promotes the health of pregnant and lactating women and provides hospitals with everything they need to save lives.”

She said that a ceasefire must be provided to the families “Safety, no more losses” Noting that more than 70 children have been killed since the ceasefire came into effect. She stressed that “The continuing attacks and killing of children must stop immediately.”

Ms. Ingram also emphasized that the impact of malnutrition cascades from mother to child “It should have been banned” hostess: “No child should be left with the scars of war before they take their first breath.”