Gaza records more birth defects in nine months than in all of 2022, Wafa reports
Gaza records more birth defects in nine months than in all of 2022, Wafa reports The number of birth defects recorded among newborns in Gaza during the first nine months of 2026 has exceeded the total reported for the whole of 2022, the year before Israel’s war on the territory began, the Palestinian news agency Wafa has reported. A medical source in Gaza told Wafa that 260 cases were recorded…
Gaza has experienced a surge in birth defects over the past nine months, with 260 cases reported between January and September 2026, surpassing the total number of cases recorded in the entire year of 2022, according to Palestinian news agency Wafa. This represents a significant 75% increase from 2022, when 184 cases were reported.
The medical source cited by Wafa attributes the rise to factors such as maternal malnutrition, exposure to environmental pollutants, and disruptions to prenatal care during the ongoing conflict. They have called for an independent international scientific investigation to determine the exact causes and the rate of congenital anomalies among newborns in the territory.
Human Rights Watch's January 2025 report highlighted the serious health risks pregnant women in Gaza face due to the war, the blockade, damage to health facilities, and shortages of essential resources like food, water, and medicine.
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