December 29, 2025 | 08:12 pm
TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - The Director General of the Gaza Ministry of Health, Munir Al-Barsh, revealed on Sunday that the monthly birth rate has plummeted by 40 percent over the past year, dropping from 26,000 to 17,000 births.
This report comes alongside warnings from Gaza health officials about the rising cases of miscarriages linked to malnutrition and the collapse of medical services. Additionally, the decline in birth rate is also attributed to the targeting of fertility centers and IVF by direct attacks from Israeli forces.
As reported by Antara, he cited the bombing of the Al-Basma Center, which he stated had caused the burning of nitrogen tanks and the destruction of around 4,000 fertilized embryos ready for transfer.
Al-Barsh also highlighted the widespread malnutrition among Palestinian mothers in Gaza, exacerbated by systematic restrictions on essential food supplements and medications.
This condition has led to a significant increase in cases of babies born with low birth weight, creating a public health emergency.
This data indicates a plan to suppress the growth of the Palestinian population, he said. He noted that Israeli research institutions, such as the Herzliya Conference, had previously warned of the demographic threat posed by Palestinians.
Health officials emphasized that the ongoing conflict has provided strategic opportunities for these measures, which he described as an effort to weaken women's reproductive health and undermine the demographic structure of Gaza.
The Ministry of Health in Gaza also reported a worrying decline in birth rate and a surge in miscarriages, raising concerns of an intentional demographic crisis in the region.
Separately, government media offices managed by Hamas, as quoted by Xinhua, reported on Sunday that Israel had committed 969 violations of the ceasefire agreement that came into effect on October 10. The office stated that 418 people had been killed and 1,141 injured in related incidents since the ceasefire began.
Although the ceasefire came into effect in Gaza on October 10, Israel continues to seal off the territory's borders and prevent the entry of housing, vehicles, and reconstruction materials, worsening the suffering of nearly 2.4 million people in the area.
Aid deliveries also remain a point of contention. The media office stated that only 19,764 trucks of humanitarian aid had entered Gaza since the ceasefire, far below the 48,000 trucks they claim were stipulated in the agreement.
The Israeli military has killed over 71,200 people, mostly Palestinian women and children, and injured over 171,200 others since October 2023 in Gaza, in a brutal onslaught that has also destroyed the region.
Read: Israeli Police Target Palestinian Christians During Christmas Celebration
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