Miscarriages soar in Gaza and birth rate drops, UN report finds

As birth rates in Gaza drop, the rate of miscarriages has risen sharply, according to a UN report published last week.The data indicated that medics in Gaza recorded 3,950 miscarriages between January and June 2026, compared to 1,197 in the second half of 2025. The birth rate also declined by 3.2 per cent since the first six months of 2026, compared with the first half of 2025.As Gaza’s health system struggles under bombardments and Israeli ground operations, inadequate access to prenatal care, malnutrition and psychological strain have been cited as key factors contributing to the spike. Damage caused by an artillery shell that hit the maternity hospital inside the Nasser Medical Complex in Gaza (Getty)But miscarriages are not the only crisis confronting Gaza's maternity wards. Doctors ac