The unborn are dying in the siege of Gaza

Miscarriages and stillbirths surge as Israel’s siege, malnutrition, toxic exposure and displacement ravage mothers Shocking news of a sudden over-threefold year-on-year increase of the number of miscarriages and stillbirths should be front page on global media.

But because it is one of the latest consequences of the ongoing Israeli genocide of Palestinians in Gaza, it will probably go ignored by most Western corporate media.

In fact, since a ‘ceasefire’ supposedly came into effect in October 2025, media coverage of Gaza has decreased dramatically.

But – as with ceasefires prior – Israel has continued to kill Palestinians in Gaza on a near-daily basis, by bombing, machinegun fire, drone strikes, and by (continuing its near twenty-year siege on Gaza) not allowing in adequate amounts of humanitarian aid, medical supplies, and other things needed to just sustain life at the very basic level.

As of August 19, the Gaza Health Ministry reports 1,273 Palestinians have been killed, 4,223 wounded since October 11, 2025.

In mid-July, Ahmad Abu Foul, a Palestinian medic who I’ve known since I lived in Gaza, told me of the sudden increase in miscarriages, primarily among women living in displacement tents across the Gaza Strip.

He cited Dr.

Mohammed Al-Bashiti, an obstetrics and gynecology specialist at Nasser Medical Complex in Khan Younis, as warning of this disturbing increase and attributing it to various environmental and physical factors, notably, severe malnutrition and anemia, and “extreme physical fatigue due to repeated displacement from one place to another.

Many are forced to carry heavy loads beyond their physical capacity, putting their pregnancies at greater risk.” But it’s also caused by exposure to toxic chemicals – explosive residues, TNT-related materials, smoke – which put the baby at risk.

Ahmad said that his sister just had a miscarriage at four months pregnant, and his niece had a stillbirth at eight months.

Thousands of women in #Gaza have lost their pregnancies amid the destruction of the healthcare system, displacement, shortages of essential supplies, and the ongoing genocide.

A thread 🧵 pic.twitter.com/oRmM3M9xWk — Euro-Med Monitor (@EuroMedHR) August 13, 2026 The Israeli newspaper, Haaretz, on July 30 published an article highlighting the dramatic rise in miscarriages.

It cited a recent UN report stating from January to June 2026, 3,950 miscarriages had been reported.

This is over triple the 1,197 miscarriages reported from July to December 2025.