Israel's war on Gaza fuels surge in babies born with deformities

Aya waited three years before becoming pregnant with her first child. The then-21-year-old was already prepping a small room for the baby, eager to meet them. But two months into her pregnancy, Israel started its genocidal war. Israeli airstrikes targeted near her home, windows shattered, and the sounds of explosions became constant. "One night, a missile struck a house just meters away from us, and our home filled with black smoke and dust. I couldn't breathe for several minutes," Aya Mohammed Abu Shamala, now 24, tells The New Arab. When her son, Mohammed, was born, what was supposed to be a joyous time after a difficult pregnancy turned sour after being told her son was born with a congenital heart defect and deformities in his lower limbs. “When the doctor told me that my child needed urgent surgeries, I felt like the world had collapsed on me. This is my first child, and I dreamed of seeing him healthy,” Aya says as she holds her baby. The fate of baby Mohammed mirrors the thousands of Gazan babies born into Israel's war. Newborns born are met with bombardment, displacement and uncertainty on when the war will end. However, many babies are being born with significant birth defects because of the war. “Birth defects existed before the war, but what we are seeing now is a significant surge in cases after the war,” Dr Ahmed al-Farra, Head of the paediatrics department at Nasser Medical Complex in Khan Younis, tells The New Arab. Gazan journalist Tamer Nahed reported that many Gazan babies are being born with deformities, including open spine defects, severe heart abnormalities, missing limbs, deformed heads, and “faces that look as if they were burned inside the womb”. Dr Ahmed notes there are at least 322 recorded cases of congenital malformations among newborns, with estimates suggesting that hundreds of other cases have not been registered. “Malformations include holes in the heart, limb deformities, hydrocephalus, as well as brain, cardiac, and kidney abnormalities, in addition to rare cases such as foetuses born without a head,” Dr Ahmed says. The doctor says they are observing that the rate of birth defects has doubled, with around 64 cases of congenital malformations recorded per 10,000 live births, compared to about 32 cases before the war. “There has also been a sharp rise in miscarriage rates reaching 300 percent, in addition to the deaths of 615 foetuses inside the womb and 457 newborns shortly after birth,” he adds. When asked why the cases have increased, Dr Ahmed says the deformities are being linked to toxic gases and chemical substances resulting from bombardment, as well as severe malnutrition, environmental pollution, and the collapse of Gaza’s healthcare services. Aya recalls having to leave the house with a piece of cloth covering my face because of the smell of gunpowder and bodies scattered in the streets. Mother of five, Majdoline Ezzat, also echoed the same ordeal, facing intense bombardment while she was six months into her pregnancy, facing shelling and the consequent fumes. Her son Yahya was born with skull deformities, weak lungs, a hole in his heart, a cleft lip, and muscle atrophy. “We slept to the sound of explosions and woke up to smoke,” Majdoline Ezzat, 38, tells The New Arab. “On one occasion, we inhaled smoke from an airstrike that targeted a nearby factory. The smell was unbearable. I felt dizzy and vomited for hours.” “I am a mother of four children. Before [Yahya], but I have never experienced a pregnancy filled with this much fear.” “I was afraid I would die before seeing him, and now I fear losing him because treatment does not exist.” After a difficult caesarean section, Israa Fouad’s third son, Adam, was born just two months ago with nervous system deformities and spinal problems. Living in an overcrowded school in western Gaza, Israa recalls being subjected to very heavy bombardment in Jabalia before they were displaced . “In one airstrike, homes very close to us were burned, and smoke covered the entire sky. I kept coughing for days and felt like I was suffocating,” Israa Fouad, 31, tells The New Arab. The mother-of-three also notes suffering from severe food shortages , as Israel continues to prevent life-saving humanitarian aid from entering the enclave. “Sometimes, while pregnant, I ate only one meal a day, and it was often just rice or lentils. I developed severe anaemia and was unable to receive treatment,” Israa explains. Dr Ahmed explains that the foetus in the mother’s womb develops from the internal, middle, and external germ layers, with the outer layer forming the nervous system, skin, and neural tube, which develops into the brain and spinal cord. The doctor says food is an important factor in the baby’s development, but this remains difficult because aid has not entered the Gaza Strip for almost a year. Israel’s blockade has been tied to severe hunger, rising malnutrition, and a high risk of famine, with humanitarian agencies warning that the crisis is man-made and rapidly worsening. For pregnant mothers , a lack of aid has left many with poor nutrition, limited prenatal care, and a higher risk of miscarriage, stillbirth, preterm birth, low birth weight, and maternal complications. “The formation of the neural tube depends on many nutrients, including fatty acids, folic acid, and phytic acid,” Dr Ahmed explains. “Therefore, the mother must receive adequate amounts of fatty acids and folic acid, which are found in vegetables, meat, poultry, and fish, all of which are now lacking.” Aya’s pregnancy became difficult, suffering from severe malnutrition as food became scarce. “Sometimes we survived for days on dry bread and canned food. I did not eat fruit for months, and I could not find milk or the vitamins prescribed by my doctor,” Aya says, now living in a tent in the al-Mawasi area west of Khan Younis. Majdoline would also spend hours searching for flour and resort to ground animal feed or spoiled bread. “The war deprived me of basic food,” Majdoline says. Under war, mothers need treatment and care that has become almost impossible as Israel’s war wages on, despite a ceasefire that was meant to end hostilities. Both Aya and Majdoline spoke of the hardships in receiving medical care while pregnant. Aya spoke about the difficulties in reaching the hospital because roads were closed and transportation was unavailable, preventing her from attending regular medical checkups. “I was also unable to undergo any medical examinations during the last four months of my pregnancy,” Majdoline says. As for Israa, she understands her son might not be able to get the help he needs as the war continues. “I have two other children who need care, and now Adam needs medical treatment that is simply unavailable,” Israa says. “The war not only stole our homes, it even stole our children’s right to be born healthy,” Majdoline says. Anam Alam is a staff writer at The New Arab. She frequently writes about human rights and social issues, including women's rights and sex education Follow her on X: @itsanamalam