Nearly 20,000 babies born in Gaza ‘hell’ since Oct. 7, says UN official mum on Israeli baby hostage

A nurse cares for prematurely born Palestinian babies that were brought from Shifa Hospital in Gaza City to the hospital in Rafah, Gaza Strip, Nov. 19, 2023. (AP Photo/Hatem Ali)
A nurse cares for prematurely born Palestinian babies that were brought from Shifa Hospital in Gaza City to the hospital in Rafah, Gaza Strip, Nov. 19, 2023. (AP Photo/Hatem Ali)

The United Nations says that thousands of babies have been born in conditions “beyond belief” in Gaza since the war there erupted more than three months ago.

UNICEF spokeswoman Tess Ingram, back from a recent visit to the Gaza Strip, describes mothers bleeding to death and one nurse who had performed emergency caesareans on six dead women.

According to UNICEF, the UN children’s agency, nearly 20,000 babies have been born into the war that began after the Hamas terror onslaught inside Israel on October 7 in which some 1,200 Israelis were massacred and some 240 were taken hostage into Gaza.

“That’s a baby born into this horrendous war every 10 minutes,” Ingram tells reporters in Geneva via videolink from Oman.

“Becoming a mother should be a time for celebration. In Gaza, it’s another child delivered into hell,” she said, emphasizing a need for urgent international action.

Ingram makes no mention of Kfir Bibas — the 1-year-old Israeli boy still held hostage by Hamas — or of any of the children kidnapped by the terror group.

“Seeing newborn babies suffer, while some mothers bleed to death, should keep us all awake at night,” she says.

Most Popular
If you’d like to comment, join
The Times of Israel Community.
Join The Times of Israel Community
Commenting is available for paying members of The Times of Israel Community only. Please join our Community to comment and enjoy other Community benefits.
Please use the following structure: example@domain.com
Confirm Mail
Thank you! Now check your email
You are now a member of The Times of Israel Community! We sent you an email with a login link to . Once you're set up, you can start enjoying Community benefits and commenting.