ActionAid International said that there is an increase in abortion cases among pregnant women in the Gaza Strip.

The organization explained in a statement today, Saturday, that this increase, which was confirmed by doctors working in one of the only maternity wards operating in Gaza, is due to food shortages and psychological pressure resulting from the constant danger and displacement that negatively affects pregnant women.

It pointed out that Al Awda Hospital in Nuseirat camp is the only hospital that currently provides maternity services such as childbirth and caesarean sections in central Gaza, while the number of pregnant women who come to the hospital is increasing due to severe bleeding and other complications.

The head of the obstetrics and gynecology department at the hospital, Raed Al-Saudi, who delivers between 40 to 50 babies daily, despite having only 35 beds, said that miscarriage can occur for several reasons, including the pregnant woman’s exhaustion due to displacement, and also due to malnutrition, which is one of the reasons. Mainly, women came to the hospital with cases of severe bleeding, placental abruption and tear, placental abruption, or postpartum bleeding, which poses a great danger to the pregnant woman.

The patient, Fadwa, 30 years old, who had a miscarriage, said: I had a miscarriage during the second month of pregnancy, and I was tired and did not get proper nutrition, and there was nothing to help me preserve my child, and my doctor told me that I should take vitamins and medications such as folic acid to prevent deformity, and I was I also need to take medication to stabilize my pregnancy. I was able to get folic acid from the clinic but I could not get the stabilizing medication. We searched in many pharmacies but were unable to find it. The doctor’s recommendation was rest. I tried to take as much rest as possible. , but that wasn't really possible.

As for the head of the inpatient and maternity department at the hospital, Dr. Yasmine, she said that the medical staff documented many cases in which pregnant women lost their fetuses, and there are cases of bleeding and premature birth, or miscarriage, and it is possible that cases of postpartum bleeding are the result of malnutrition, or cases of Anemia, as bombing leads to displacement, forcing people to move from one house to another, to avoid bombing and death. These factors may cause direct bleeding and high blood pressure for women, and can lead to complete separation of the fetus (placental abruption) and miscarriage.

It pointed out that the department deals with many cases in these circumstances, and there are many women who lost their fetuses as a result of direct exposure to bombing, and one of the cases was a pregnant woman who had an injury, which led to her bleeding on the second day or on the same day.

It pointed out that most children are born with low weights, and many of them were transferred to Al-Aqsa Martyrs Hospital because they suffer from a lack of oxygen, breathing difficulties, or infections as a result of lack of hygiene, or the spread of diseases. Women, due to lack of nutrition, also suffer from anemia or general emaciation, and thus are She is unable to give birth or bear the pressure of childbirth, because she is tired and exhausted.

According to the World Health Organization, 95% of pregnant and breastfeeding women in Gaza face severe food poverty due to lack of adequate food.