Report alleges ‘reproductive genocide’ in gaza under israel
A new report by the Palestinian Feminist Collective argues that Israel has, for decades, engaged in what it describes as a “reproductive genocide” against Palestinians, a process it says has intensified following the Hamas-led attacks of October 7th, according to the Middle East Eye and agencies on July 1st.
The report alleges that the destruction of healthcare infrastructure, the killing of women and children, and the deterioration of living conditions have collectively contributed to declining fertility and broader reproductive harm among Palestinians.
The 188-page report, titled A Predatory State: Israeli Systemic Sexualized and Gendered Violence Against Palestinians and supported by the Progressive International, claims that Israeli military actions reflect a long-standing national security concern over the rising Palestinian population, with this practice reflecting “the intention of making it impossible for Palestinian life to continue.”
The UN’s top investigative body on Palestine and Israel echoed the report’s findings, stating that Israeli forces had targeted Palestinian children as a key element of their military campaign in Gaza.
Its findings include killings by sniper and drone fire, detention-related abuse, and the destruction of schools and hospitals.
It further reports extensive damage to reproductive healthcare facilities, including maternity wards, neonatal units, and fertility clinics.
Israel has not responded to the reported claims.
Humanitarian impact in Gaza
According to the United Nations official figures, the death toll of Palestinian children since October 2023 stands at 21,000, with 5,160 believed to be trapped under debris. As of October 2024, around 15,000 children had reportedly lost their mothers.
The UN estimates that at the start of the war, there were approximately 50,000 pregnant women in Gaza, with around 5,500 expectant births per month. It concludes that many have been unable to access adequate prenatal care due to shortages of medicine, fuel, and medical supplies.
The report cites a rise of over 300 per cent in miscarriages, attributing this to malnutrition, anaemia, and lack of medical support.
The collapse of healthcare and reproductive conditions
The Palestinian Feminist Collective report concludes that the destruction of hospitals and restrictions on supplies have left Gaza’s healthcare system incapable of supporting safe labour and delivery conditions.
Hospitals have suffered electricity blackouts, fuel shortages, and a lack of sterile conditions.
Palestinian women have resorted to giving birth in overcrowded shelters, at home or on streets covered in debris.
It cites accounts from international medical workers describing surgeries, including caesarean sections, performed without anaesthesia due to supply constraints.
New mothers have lacked access to basic necessities, including food, water, and baby formula, due to shortages.
The report claims that the lack of access to basic hygiene and menstrual products has forced some women into using homemade pads or suppressing their periods by taking birth-control pills.
It states that the use of certain munitions may have long-term effects on fertility, saying “weapons like white phosphorus and other toxic munitions ‘will have long-term, inter-generational effects on fertility’”
Documented cases
The report highlights individual cases to illustrate the war’s broader impact.
In one case, Rania Abu Anza, who underwent years of IVF treatment, was killed during an airstrike along with her twin infants and their father in March 2024.
In another, Jomana Arafa was reportedly killed two days after giving birth to twins, along with her newborns and her mother, while sheltering in a “designated humanitarian zone.”
The report adds that these cases are “only the tip of the iceberg”.
Claims of historical concern over palestinian reproduction
The Palestinian Feminist Collective argues that Israeli policy has held a longstanding concern over Palestinian reproduction; It cites remarks by Israeli geographer Arnon Soffer in 1995, who warned that “the most serious threat Israel faces is the wombs of Arab women,” adding that Palestinian birth rates endangered the national security of the State of Israel.
It also references Golda Meir, Israel’s prime minister from 1969 to 1974, who reportedly said that her nightmares stemmed from the knowledge that “another Palestinian child will be born.”
The Independent International Commission of Inquiry on the Occupied Palestinian Territory has also examined the issue, reporting that Israeli forces systematically direct attacks at reproductive healthcare facilities, including maternity wards, prenatal care units, fertility clinics, and neonatal intensive care units.
The Commission attributes famine in the Palestinian enclave to Israeli restrictions on access to food.
Response from UN official
UN Special Rapporteur on the Occupied Palestinian Territories, Francesca Albanese, said the Palestinian Feminist Collective’s report highlights what she described as a broader system of domination rather than isolated incidents.
She said it reflects “a system that has transformed Palestinian life… into instruments of control and domination,” adding that alleged abuses form part of a wider structure of oppression.
The Middle East Eye plus agencies, Maghrebi.org
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