Targeting Birth: Legal Failures and the Collapse of Reproductive Healthcare in Gaza
The destruction of Gaza’s reproductive health infrastructure has created a legal and humanitarian crisis of historic scale. As of July 2025, over 50,000 pregnant women remain displaced, many giving birth without skilled care, sterile supplies, or physical shelter. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), 94 percent of Gaza’s health facilities are damaged or destroyed. This includes nearly every maternity hospital and the sole in vitro fertilization (IVF) clinic. Women have delivered in tents, schools, and during displacement, often without electricity, anesthesia, or trained providers. Maternal mortality, preterm birth, and infant death rates have surged.
