Gaza Reproduction Crisis: Israel’s Impact
- In December 2023, an Israeli missile struck Gaza's largest fertility clinic, al Basma IVF Center, destroying more than 4,000 embryos and over 1,000 vials of sperm and unfertilized...
- Palestinian women sew diapers at a workshop in Rafah in the southern Gaza Strip, on February 18, 2024, amid severe shortages of basic necessities.
- This strike exemplifies what the author calls "reprocide": the systematic targeting of a community's reproductive health to eliminate its future.
Discover the devastating impact of the Israel-Gaza conflict on Palestinian women‘s reproductive health.Learn how targeted attacks on fertility clinics and the obstruction of medical aid are weaponizing reproduction, a stark reality revealed in Gaza’s ongoing crisis. News Directory 3 explores the heartbreaking stories of pregnant women and newborns amidst the destruction, and the long-term consequences of this impact. Explore the concept of reprocide and its devastating effects on Gaza’s future. Discover what’s next …
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Reprocide: How Israel’s War on Gaza Targets Palestinian Reproduction
Table of Contents
In December 2023, an Israeli missile struck Gaza’s largest fertility clinic, al Basma IVF Center, destroying more than 4,000 embryos and over 1,000 vials of sperm and unfertilized eggs. Dr. Bahaeldeen ghalayini, the clinic’s founder, described the attack as the loss of ”5,000 lives in one shell.”
Palestinian women sew diapers at a workshop in Rafah in the southern Gaza Strip, on February 18, 2024, amid severe shortages of basic necessities. (Mohammed Abed/AFP via Getty Images)
This strike exemplifies what the author calls “reprocide”: the systematic targeting of a community’s reproductive health to eliminate its future. She argues that in the context of the ongoing conflict in Gaza, reprocide is a tactic of genocide, which includes “imposing measures intended to prevent births” within a specific group.
The author,a Palestinian women’s rights activist from Gaza,contends that reprocide is part of a broader settler-colonial framework aimed at demographic erasure,predating October 7,2023.She recalls that following the 2008-2009 Israeli assault on Gaza,Israeli soldiers wore t-shirts depicting a pregnant woman in crosshairs with the slogan “1 Shot 2 Kills,” instilling fear among pregnant women.She notes that Israel is also a world leader in assisted reproductive technology, actively encouraging birth rates among Jewish citizens.
Between October 2023 and October 2024, the author collected accounts from individuals experiencing reproductive violence, alongside official reports from Gaza, to illustrate how Israel has allegedly weaponized reproduction. This includes direct attacks on reproductive health infrastructure, creating conditions detrimental to reproduction, and sexual violence.
Targeting the Future
By March 2025, the death toll in Gaza since October 7, 2023, had surpassed 50,000, including over 17,000 children. Entire families have been wiped out.UN Women reported at least 3,000 widows as early as January 2024.
Beyond the deaths, the author argues that the conflict has directly targeted Gaza’s capacity to reproduce. Even before the recent conflict, Gaza was a challenging place to be pregnant, with a 2018 study suggesting that the Israeli blockade, beginning in 2006, impacted maternal mortality rates by reducing access to drugs, equipment, and referrals.
Since October 2023, the situation has worsened. In late 2023,approximately 180 women gave birth in Gaza each day,with at least 15 percent facing complications. By 2024,over 177,000 pregnant women faced life-threatening health risks,and miscarriage rates had increased substantially.
Intensive Care Units have been bombed, lacking the electricity needed for incubators. In November 2023, premature babies at Al Naser Children’s Hospital died after soldiers forced staff to evacuate and abandon them.
The author states that along with destroying hospitals and clinics, Israel has maintained a blockade, obstructing aid and medical supplies essential for reproductive health. Palestinian women have endured C-sections without anesthesia, and doctors have performed hysterectomies due to a lack of materials to control postpartum bleeding.
The author recounts the story of Dana, a pregnant woman forced to evacuate Gaza City by the Israeli military. At a checkpoint,soldiers allegedly forced her to squat repeatedly,causing bleeding and the loss of her baby,ultimately requiring a hysterectomy.
In November 2023, NBC News reported the story of Hind Shamlakh, a pregnant woman rescued from rubble after an airstrike and given an emergency C-section. The author’s brother-in-law, an obstetrician, reported performing multiple postmortem C-sections in a single week, attempting to save babies from deceased mothers.
The bombardment has made deliveries traumatic, with women giving birth in shelters or being assisted by their husbands due to the conflict. One woman described giving birth in a house surrounded by tanks and walking alone to the hospital with her newborn out of fear of indiscriminate attacks.
‘Bomb Now, Die Later’
Since October 2023, nearly 70 percent of Gaza’s structures have been damaged or destroyed. The author cites Stephen Graham’s concept of “switching off cities,” leading to a “bomb now, die later” scenario, where the destruction of infrastructure and obstruction of aid leads to a slow death and precludes new life.
The destruction has created a toxic environment, with bombing, rubble, and chemical debris leading to environmental hazards for pregnant women and children and a rise in fetal abnormalities.One report suggests that as many as one in four newborns are affected. Pollutants increase pregnancy complications and children’s medical issues.
Gaza also faces extreme hunger and inadequate sanitation. Women struggle to breastfeed or find formula. A factory in Rafah began manufacturing diapers from lab coats due to scarcity.
The author shares the story of Amir, whose infant daughter died at six months old due to a lack of access to proper food and medical care. This trauma has affected the couple’s reproductive choices.
Israa Saleh, a doctor specializing in sexual and reproductive health, explained that the forced displacement and overcrowding have created a lack of privacy, impacting intimate relationships and sexual experiences.
What’s next
The long-term consequences of reprocide in gaza are far-reaching and devastating.The destruction of reproductive infrastructure, the environmental hazards, and the psychological trauma will continue to affect the health and well-being of Palestinians for generations to come. Addressing this crisis requires immediate humanitarian aid, long-term investment in reproductive healthcare, and accountability for the actions that have led to this catastrophic situation.