Four UN agencies have said that “women, children and newborns in Gaza are disproportionately bearing the burden of the escalation of hostilities in the occupied Palestinian territory”.

In a joint statement, the UN Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA), the children’s agency Unicef, the World Health Organisation (WHO), and its sexual and reproductive health agency (UNFPA) said there are an “estimated 50,000 pregnant women in Gaza, with more than 180 giving birth every day”.

“Fifteen per cent of them are likely to experience pregnancy or birth-related complications and need additional medical care” they highlighted.

They warned that “maternal deaths are expected to increase given the lack of access to adequate care and the “lives of newborns also hang by a thread”.