The Director-General of the Palestinian Ministry of Health in the Gaza Strip, Dr. Munir al-Barash, said that the Israeli occupation is killing fetuses in the wombs of their mothers in Gaza through the blockade that prevents the entry of essential nutritional supplements and medicines.
He explained in statements to Al Jazeera that the blockade, which prevents the entry of essential food and nutritional supplements, has led to the birth of 144 children with serious birth defects, some of whom were born without a brain and with incomplete organs.
Al-Barash emphasized that this tragedy could have been avoided with simple measures, such as allowing the entry of folic acid, a supplement needed by pregnant women. He added, “The occupation is committing mass murder against the Palestinian people, while the world is watching the killing of our children and the mutilation of fetuses in the wombs of our women.”
In a related context, al-Barash revealed that more than 70% of newborns in Gaza are born prematurely (incomplete), which poses enormous health challenges from the first moments of life, amid a severe shortage of incubators and specialized medicines for pediatric care.
According to the medical director, Gaza is experiencing an unprecedented ophthalmology crisis, with 1,500 people losing their sight in one or both eyes, while another 4,000 are at risk of losing their sight “for very simple reasons,” namely the lack of basic medical supplies.
