Admin I Saturday, Oct.25, 2025
UNITED NATIONS — The relentless war in Gaza and the subsequent collapse of its health system are creating a malnutrition crisis that the United Nations warns will have devastating long-term consequences for future generations.
The U.N. Population Fund (UNFPA) reported on Friday that severe malnutrition among pregnant women and infants, combined with extreme shortages of food and medicine, is pushing the region into a generational health crisis.
The figures from the agency paint a grim picture of the conditions for newborns. Before the conflict, approximately 20 percent of babies in Gaza were born either underweight or premature.
That number has now skyrocketed to around 70 percent. This surge is overwhelming the few remaining medical facilities, with neonatal units reportedly operating at 170 percent of capacity.
”Malnutrition is the main threat amid the collapse of the health infrastructure,” a UNFPA spokesperson said.
The dire situation is compounded by the near-total destruction of Gaza’s medical facilities.
According to the UNFPA, 94 percent of hospitals have collapsed, and only 15 percent of facilities are currently able to provide emergency maternity care.
The threat extends to mothers as well. The agency noted a concerning rise in maternal deaths and high-risk pregnancies.
Furthermore, the stress and instability of the conflict are fueling an increase in gender-based violence, including a rise in early marriage.
The warning comes as the broader food crisis deepens. The UNFPA stressed that over a quarter of Gaza’s population is facing acute hunger, a group that includes an estimated 11,500 pregnant women whose health—and the health of their unborn children—is now in immediate jeopardy. The chronic lack of essential nutrients during this critical period of development is what the U.N. agency warns will indelibly harm the well-being and developmental capacity of children for decades to come.
