Israel's Gaza war risks 20,000 newborns with malnutrition — UNICEF

Nearly 20,000 babies born into Israel's current war in Gaza, along with 135,000 children under the age of two in the besieged Palestinian enclave are at "severe risk" of malnutrition, UNICEF has said.

Noting that the number equals one baby born about every 10 minutes since October 7, when the conflict began, Tess Ingram, a UNICEF spokesperson, told a press briefing Friday in Geneva: "The situation of pregnant women and newborns in Gaza is beyond belief, and it demands intensified and immediate actions."

"The already precarious situation of infant and maternal mortality has worsened as the healthcare system collapses," Ingram stressed, adding that mothers face unimaginable challenges in accessing adequate medical care, nutrition and protection before, during and after birth.

She underlined that the trauma of war also directly impacts newborns, resulting in higher rates of undernutrition, developmental issues and other health complications.

Pregnant and breastfeeding mothers and their babies are living in "inhumane conditions, makeshift shelters (with) poor nutrition and unsafe water."

"This is putting about 135,000 children under the age of two at severe risk of malnutrition," she warned.

On the mortality rate among the 20,000 newborns, she said that it is not possible to be sure about the infant mortality rate at the moment due to the current conditions.

"But it is safe to say that children are dying now because of the humanitarian crisis on the ground as well as from the bombs and bullets," she added.

The Israeli army has been waging a destructive war on Gaza since October 7 last year, resulting in 24,620 deaths and 61,830 injuries – most of them children and women – and causing the displacement of more than 85% of Gaza's population, according to Palestinian authorities and the UN.