The invasion of Rafah would spell catastrophe for pregnant women, new mothers and newborns

Close to seven months of war has inflicted unimaginable suffering on the people of Gaza, including hundreds of thousands of pregnant and breastfeeding women and newborns. Many have been displaced multiple times, living in inhumane conditions with too little to eat, hardly any access to medical care and nowhere to go. People are hungry, exhausted and scared; and they cannot keep running.

More than one million people are crammed into Rafah, sleeping in the streets and makeshift shelters in a city that is hosting five times its natural capacity. A ground invasion in Rafah would be a catastrophe for traumatized pregnant women and new mothers, and gravely impact humanitarian aid operations that are already struggling to reach people in desperate need throughout Gaza.

Today, major hospitals lie in ruins across Gaza and not a single health facility is fully operational following more than 440 attacks on health care since the war began in October.

Rafah is the main hub of the humanitarian response in Gaza and has some of its last functioning health facilities. This includes the Al-Helal Al-Emirati Maternity Hospital, which is now the main facility for pregnant women in Rafah, managing around 60 deliveries every day. An attack in Rafah could turn this and other health facilities from places of hope into rubble and dust – putting at risk the lives of tens of thousands of pregnant women.

UNFPA-delivered reproductive health kits have enabled safe births for more than 20,000 women in Gaza. The kits include lifesaving medicines and equipment for maternal health, including for emergency obstetric care. We have set up a mobile maternity clinic in Rafah, with two more on the way. Hundreds of UNFPA-trained midwives are supporting pregnant women and new mothers unable to access a health clinic or hospital. UNFPA has also distributed essential supplies to thousands of new mothers, and we are providing psychosocial support to thousands of women, adolescents, and children.

We call for all hospitals, healthcare workers and patients to be protected. Civilians must never be a target, and their needs must be met. We call for an immediate ceasefire, and for the unconditional release of all hostages in Gaza. The women and girls of Gaza need peace now.