UN data shows Gaza miscarriages rise over threefold and births decline in first half of 2026

A United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) report has documented a sharp deterioration in sexual and reproductive health indicators in the Gaza Strip during the first half of 2026. According to the Humanitarian Situation Report dated 23 July 2026, more than 3,950 miscarriage cases were recorded between January and June 2026 via the Bayan Dashboard, the Ministry of Health’s reproductive health information platform that consolidates data from partners providing services across the Strip.

The miscarriage rate reached 208.5 per 1,000 live births, representing a 3.3-fold increase compared with the second half of 2025. It peaked at 377.3 per 1,000 live births in April 2026. Nearly 74 percent of the pregnancy losses occurred during the first trimester. At the same time, 57.1 percent of pregnant women were anaemic, the report stated, highlighting worsening health and nutritional status.

The number of deliveries declined by 3.2 percent in the first six months of 2026 compared with the first half of 2025, with sharper monthly decreases observed since April. Severe maternal morbidity reached 82 cases per 1,000 deliveries. Caesarean sections accounted for 49.2 percent of all deliveries, largely driven by emergency procedures among women arriving in critical condition. Haemorrhages, hypertension, and infections accounted for 92 percent of severe maternal complications.

An Haaretz report on the UN findings noted that the birth rate dropped as diseases among mothers spiked and miscarriages tripled since the beginning of the year. Dr. Ahmed al-Farra, head of pediatrics at Nasser Hospital in Khan Yunis, attributed possible causes to water shortages and maternal stress. The article also referenced a British physician volunteering in Gaza who suggested heavy metals from ordnance as another potential factor.

These 2026 figures build on earlier trends. In the first half of 2025, Gazan health authorities recorded only 17,000 births, a 41 percent decline from the corresponding period in 2022, according to UNFPA and UN News. That period also saw over 2,600 miscarriages reported. Ministry of Health data cited in regional reporting showed further monthly declines in registered births into 2026, dropping from 6,076 in November 2025 to around 2,004 in April 2026.

OCHA linked the deteriorating indicators to the cumulative effects of crisis conditions, displacement, food insecurity, and the degradation of essential health services. UNFPA is commissioning a study with partners to identify risk factors, service gaps, and barriers to care. In the meantime, the agency has continued distributing reproductive health supplies, including medicines, contraceptives, midwifery equipment, and postpartum kits to hospitals and medical points.

The report forms part of ongoing UN monitoring of humanitarian conditions in Gaza following the October 2025 ceasefire announcement, during which military operations, insecurity, and access constraints have persisted alongside high levels of displacement and infrastructure damage.