UN official says there are no more ‘normal-sized babies’ in Gaza

Gaza: A UN official stated on Friday that the humanitarian situation in Gaza is a "nightmare" for mothers and babies, with medical professionals reporting small and unwell newborns, stillbirths, and women being forced to have C-sections without adequate anaesthesia.

“I’m personally leaving Gaza this week terrified for the one million women and girls of Gaza... and most especially for the 180 women who are giving birth every single day,” Dominic Allen, UN Population Fund (UNFPA) representative for the state of Palestine, said in a video news conference from Jerusalem.

“Doctors are reporting that they no longer see normal-sized babies,” Allen said after seeing the northern Gaza facilities that are still offering maternity care, where there is a very high need, AFP reported.

“What they do see though, tragically, is more stillborn births... and more neonatal deaths, caused in part by malnutrition, dehydration and complications.”

Approximately twice as many difficult deliveries occur now as there did prior to the start of the war with Israel. Mothers are frightened, afraid, malnourished, and worn out, and caregivers frequently lack the materials they need.

“We have had reports of insufficient anesthetic being available” for Caesarean sections, “which again is unthinkable.”

“Those mothers should be wrapping their arms around their children,” he said. “Those children should not be wrapped in a body bag.”

Israel has defended its actions as it works towards its declared objective of eliminating Hamas, arguing that the UN ought to provide more relief to the war-torn region and refuting claims made by the UN and non-governmental organisations that onerous Israeli inspections are preventing the delivery of food and other necessities.

Allen claimed that several UNFPA supply shipments, including kits for midwives, had been denied entry by Israeli authorities, or that items like flashlights and solar panels had been taken out.

“It’s a nightmare which is much more than a humanitarian crisis,” he said. “It is a crisis of humanity... beyond catastrophic.”

What he saw while going through Gaza, he said, “really broke my heart.”

Everyone he passed or spoke to, Allen said, “was gaunt, emaciated, hungry” and exhausted from the daily struggle to survive.

He claimed that at one military checkpoint, he saw a youngster who looked to be around five years old walking with his hands raised, obviously terrified, while his somewhat older sister followed behind and carried a white flag.

Around 1,160 people, mostly civilians, were killed in a surprise attack by Hamas militants on October 7, marking the start of the war, according to an AFP tally of official numbers.

According to the health ministry, Israel's retaliatory attack has killed at least 31,490 Palestinians in Gaza, the majority of them being women and children.