MSF warns Gaza’s premature babies face death amid supply shortages

By Al Mayadeen English
Source: Médecins Sans Frontières
24 Jul 2025 22:45

In war-torn Gaza, neonatal units are overwhelmed as fuel shortages, lack of incubators, and rising premature births put newborn lives at constant risk.

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Multiple babies share one incubator in the neonatal intensive care unit of Al-Helou hospital in northern Gaza, Palestine, July 2025. (Joanne Perry/MSF)

In northern Gaza, premature infants are clinging to life in hospitals struggling with severe shortages of basic medical supplies and equipment, according to Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF). Medical teams working in the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) at Al-Helou Hospital report critical gaps in care, including the absence of incubators, ultrasounds, and premature infant formula.

“It started with two babies sharing one incubator – this is already completely unacceptable and shocking to see. Then it increased to three, and last week we saw five babies in one incubator,” said Dr. Joanne Perry, an MSF medical team leader currently stationed at Al-Helou.

According to Perry, repeated attacks on Gaza’s healthcare infrastructure have left only 36 incubators operational in the region, down from 126 before October 2023. The overcrowding in incubators, she explained, heightens the risk of infection for newborns, particularly those born prematurely with underdeveloped immune systems.

In an effort to compensate for the lack of incubators, the medical staff employs the “nesting technique", which involves positioning soft materials around the infants to recreate the secure, supportive environment of the womb. “This position helps stabilise the baby's posture, reduces excessive limb movements, and promotes physiological and behavioural stability,” she noted.

Perry attributed the rising number of premature births to deteriorating maternal health conditions. “This is my third time in Gaza over the past year, what’s different now is that pregnant mothers are severely underweight, severely anaemic. This can contribute to complications during pregnancy – including premature labour,” she said.

'It's heartbreaking'

The situation for expectant mothers is further complicated by the living conditions. Many are housed in overcrowded shelters or tents with little or no access to clean water or sanitation. Displacement and the destruction of health infrastructure have severely curtailed access to prenatal care. As a result, high-risk pregnancies often go unmonitored until emergencies occur.

“We see premature births and babies born with health issues that might have been preventable with even the most basic monitoring,” said Perry. Conditions such as pneumonia or cardiac abnormalities, which are typically manageable with early detection, often go undiagnosed due to the absence of essential diagnostic tools. “But we don’t have the equipment in the NICU – no ultrasounds, no x-rays, and often not even the blood tests we need,” she added.

Fuel shortages, Perry said, pose another life-threatening challenge. All hospitals in Gaza rely on diesel-powered generators, and power cuts have had deadly consequences for newborns dependent on oxygen. “Sadly, on Monday night (14 July 2025), a baby, who could have survived, was lost, because the power went out and therefore the oxygen supply was cut off,” she said.

The scarcity of supplies extends beyond medical devices. Staff are often forced to delay diaper changes to conserve stock, increasing the risk of rashes and infections. Formula shortages are also chronic. “We promote breastfeeding, and we’re proud to be a breastfeeding-friendly hospital, but in this situation, many mothers can’t stay to feed their babies every few hours,” Perry said. “They often have to take care of the rest of their families, or don’t have enough money for transportation and need to walk back and forth for hours.”

Reflecting on the dire conditions, Perry remarked: “It’s heartbreaking. Having a baby should be a moment of joy and hope – but now, for so many families in Gaza, it’s clouded by stress and fear.”

Premature babies grouped per incubator as fuel runs out in Gaza

Medical staff at Al-Shifa Hospital in northern Gaza are being forced to place three to four premature babies in a single incubator due to acute fuel shortages, the Health Ministry in Gaza confirmed on Wednesday. The desperate measure comes as the enclave’s health system continues to collapse under the weight of the ongoing Israeli blockade.

Zahir al-Wahidi, spokesperson for Gaza’s Health Ministry, told RIA Novosti that hospitals are receiving minimal fuel allocations through coordination with international agencies, insufficient to sustain essential operations.

Premature births rise amid starvation and bombardment

Health officials say the alarming rise in premature births is a direct consequence of the war on Gaza. Many expecting mothers have been forced to live in overcrowded tent camps under constant bombardment, with no access to adequate food or clean water.

“In these conditions, we are seeing an unprecedented number of premature and underweight births,” said al-Wahidi. “We have no choice but to put three or four newborns in the same incubator just to keep them alive.”

According to local statistics, approximately 17,000 children were born in Gaza during the first half of 2025, with 1 in 10 being premature or underweight.

Severe shortages of infant formula, medicine, medical personnel, generator parts, and clean water are further compounding the crisis. Even basic items like baby incubators are in dangerously short supply.

The Israeli blockade has turned hospitals into zones of despair, where life-saving treatments and equipment are either unavailable or unusable due to the lack of electricity.

Despite diplomatic efforts to secure a ceasefire and alleviate the suffering, the humanitarian crisis continues to escalate, leaving Gaza’s most vulnerable, its newborns, at the mercy of a collapsing health system.