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Story
22 May 2025
“I felt that I was taking my last breath and would never get to hold my newborn,” says Nesma* from Marib Governorate, Yemen.
Nesma experienced life-threatening complications during her pregnancy, forcing her husband to sell his sheep – their only means of income – and hire a vehicle to take her to a hospital in the city. There was no health facility close to their home.
Statement
19 May 2025
Cairo, 19 May 2025– “UNFPA is deeply concerned about the potential closure of the only safe house for women in Gaza as Israel’s latest forced displacement orders in Deir Al-Balah and Khan Younis render it inaccessible.
News
20 May 2025
GAZA STRIP, Occupied Palestinian Territory – “There’s a severe shortage of food and essential medicines, particularly during this siege,” said a doctor at Al-Awda Hospital, in Gaza’s central Deir Al-Balah governorate. “It’s had a devastating impact on pregnant women, breastfeeding mothers and children in general.”
Story
05 May 2025
Publisher
UNFPA
Number of pages
7
Author
UNFPA
Situation Report
Publication date
15 April 2025
In March 2025, UNFPA continued to deliver life-saving SRH and GBV prevention and response services across Gaza and
the West Bank, despite the escalating conflict, repeated displacement, and severe access constraints. Border closures, insecurity, and attacks on health facilities and aid workers have significantly disrupted service delivery, yet UNFPA and partners remained on the ground, responding where access was possible.
News
11 April 2025
THE WEST BANK, Occupied Palestinian Territory – “I suffered from postpartum fever, but reaching the hospital was nearly impossible because of the siege on medical services,” said 26-year-old Sara*, from the Nur Shams refugee camp near the Palestinian city of Tulkarm.
Press Release
09 April 2025
8 April 2025 – Jerusalem, Occupied Palestinian Territory
Video
The White Butterflies Project provides essential midwifery services to pregnant women and new mothers in Area C of the West Bank. Funded by contributions from women in higher-income areas, this community initiative ensures that women in remote locations receive free healthcare, including postnatal care, breastfeeding advice, and early detection services.
Despite challenges like checkpoints and inaccessible roads, the project’s dedicated midwives travel miles to deliver care, helping to improve health outcomes and support women’s well-being in marginalized communities.
Video
Mothers like Nadine face unimaginable challenges when giving birth under occupation. Restricted movement, settler violence, and roadblocks can delay access to life-saving healthcare, putting both mothers and babies at risk. Nadine’s powerful story highlights the obstacles many women in the West Bank face every day.
News
10 March 2025
GAZA STRIP, Occupied Palestinian Territory – Two weeks into her ninth month of pregnancy, Roozan Abu Jbarah hoped she would manage to give birth safely. “I’ve been having pain and my water broke,” she told UNFPA, the United Nations sexual and reproductive health agency. “What I’m most concerned about is the baby’s health, because the basic things haven’t been available.”
