Hamas war on Israel has put 84,000 pregnant women in Gaza at risk as aid stalled at Rafah crossing: WHO

Gaza has about 84,000 pregnant women, 10 per cent of whom are expected to give birth in the next month. The region is reeling under a humanitarian crisis with the World Health Organisation (WHO) warning that the water supply will completely dry out for hundreds of thousands of displaced Palestinians. “Babies don’t care about bombs, they come when they come,” WHO spokesperson Margaret Harris said in an interview with CNN. The UNFPA’s representative for Palestine, Dominic Allen said that with an already faltering healthcare system, pregnant women of Gaza are under extreme threat and devoid of basic medical supplies. “Imagine going through that process in those final stages and your last trimester before giving birth, with possible complications, without clothing, without hygiene, support and not sure about what the next day, next hour, next minute will bring for themselves and for their unborn child,” Allen told CNN. He further said that midwives are unable to the maternity ward to provide assistance due to the unsafe environment. On Tuesday, US State Secretary Antony Blinken said, “US and Israel have agreed to develop a plan that will enable humanitarian aid from donor nations and multilateral organizations to reach civilians in Gaza.” “It is critical that aid begin flowing into Gaza as soon as possible,” Blinken said, noting that the US shares “Israel’s concern that Hamas may seize or destroy aid entering Gaza or otherwise prevent it from reaching the people who need it.