Doctors Without Borders reports a spike in infant mortality and miscarriages in Gaza, attributing the crisis to human-caused malnutrition and restricted access to essential aid and food.
Neonatal Health and Maternal Nutrition
Doctors Without Borders analyzed more than 200 children in neonatal intensive care units across Gaza City and Khan Yunis from late 2024 to early 2026. The research recorded higher rates of premature births and infant mortality among children born to mothers suffering from malnutrition during pregnancy.
Ninety percent of children born to malnourished mothers were premature, and 84 percent had low birth weight. Infant mortality was twice as high for these children compared to those born to mothers who were not malnourished at the time of delivery.
Challenges in Nutritional Support
Between October 2024 and December 2025, MSF enrolled 513 infants under six months old into outpatient nutrition programs in Al Mawasi and Al Attar. While 91 percent of these children were at risk of growth and development disorders, only 48 percent were successfully treated, while 32 percent dropped out due to insecurity and displacement.
The broader malnutrition crisis has seen 4,176 children under the age of 15 admitted to various programs. From January 2024 to February 2026, 3,336 pregnant and breastfeeding women were also included in these nutritional programs.
Starvation as a Tool of Control
MSF medical staff state the crisis is human-caused, resulting from a 2.5-year blockade of humanitarian aid and commercial goods. This blockade, combined with a lack of security, has severely restricted access to food and clean water and forced many healthcare facilities to suspend operations.
MSF officials link these conditions to the blockade of essential products and attacks on civil infrastructure. They assert that the militarization of humanitarian corridors and food restrictions have created a situation where starvation is being used as a tool of population control.
Famine and the Collapse of Aid
The Gaza Humanitarian Foundation, intended to replace UNRWA, has seen its food distribution points drop from approximately 400 to just four. UN data indicates that over 2,000 people have been killed at distribution points managed by mercenaries.
In August, the Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC) declared the first famine in the history of the Middle East region. Estimates suggest that between October 16 and November 30, 2025, approximately three-quarters of the population in the Gaza Strip faced severe food insecurity.
