Gaza Reproduction: Israel’s Impact
- An Israeli missile struck Gaza’s Al Basma IVF Centre, the region's largest fertility clinic, in December 2023.
- Bahaeldeen Ghalayini, who founded the clinic, told Reuters the strike eliminated the potential for 5,000 lives.
- A Palestinian women’s rights activist from Gaza, who has witnessed the situation firsthand, says that Israel uses reprocide within a settler colonial framework aimed at demographic erasure, a...
The missile strike on Gaza’s IVF clinic underscores a dire primarykeyword: reprocide crisis. This intentional targeting of reproductive health is decimating the chances of new life, with thousands of embryos and sperm vials lost. The destruction directly affects secondarykeyword: reproductive health, fertility, and the future of generations in Gaza. News Directory 3 brings you the story, detailing health infrastructure destruction and the lasting impact of environmental hazards and blocked aid. Discover what’s next as the long-term repercussions unfold.
Gaza IVF Clinic Strike: reprocide and Reproductive Health Crisis
Updated June 12, 2025
An Israeli missile struck Gaza’s Al Basma IVF Centre, the region’s largest fertility clinic, in December 2023. The blast destroyed over 4,000 embryos and more than 1,000 vials containing sperm and unfertilized eggs.
Dr. Bahaeldeen Ghalayini, who founded the clinic, told Reuters the strike eliminated the potential for 5,000 lives. This incident has raised concerns about reprocide, defined as the systematic targeting of a community’s reproductive health to eliminate its future. This is happening within the context of what some describe as Israel’s ongoing war in Gaza, where reprocide is allegedly used as a tactic.
A Palestinian women’s rights activist from Gaza, who has witnessed the situation firsthand, says that Israel uses reprocide within a settler colonial framework aimed at demographic erasure, a process that predates October 7, 2023. She recalls Israeli soldiers wearing t-shirts depicting a pregnant woman in crosshairs with the slogan “1 Shot 2 Kills” following the 2008-2009 Israeli assault on Gaza. This instilled fear among pregnant women and underscored the eliminationist nature of the violence.
Between October 2023 and October 2024, the activist collected ethnographic evidence, including voice notes and messages, to trace the effects of reprocide. Analyzing these accounts alongside official reports reveals how Israel has allegedly weaponized reproduction through direct assaults on reproductive health infrastructure and the conditions it forces women and men to reproduce under.
Targeting the Future
By March 2025, the death toll in Gaza as October 7, 2023, exceeded 50,000, including over 17,000 children. Entire families have been wiped out. As of January 2024, UN Women reported at least 3,000 widows, with the actual number likely higher. The conflict has explicitly targeted Gaza’s capacity to reproduce.
even before the recent conflict, pregnancy in Gaza was challenging due to the Israeli blockade that began in 2006.This blockade reduced the availability of essential drugs, medical equipment, and restricted women’s access to emergency treatments outside Gaza.
Since October 2023, the situation has become catastrophic. In late 2023, about 180 women gave birth daily in Gaza, with at least 15% facing complications. By 2024, over 177,000 pregnant women faced life-threatening health risks, and the miscarriage rate increased by up to 300%.
Intensive Care Units have been repeatedly bombed, lacking the necessary electricity for incubators. In November 2023, the Israeli army forced the abandonment of five premature babies at Al Naser Children’s Hospital, where they later died without support.
Along with destroying hospitals and fertility clinics,Israel has maintained a blockade of Gaza,obstructing aid and medical supplies essential for reproductive health. Hundreds of Palestinian women have undergone C-sections without anesthesia, and doctors have had to perform hysterectomies due to the lack of materials to control postpartum bleeding.
5,000 lives in one shell.
Dana, a 34-year-old woman who spent a decade trying to conceive, was forced to evacuate Gaza City while pregnant. At a checkpoint, Israeli soldiers allegedly forced her to squat repeatedly, causing bleeding and loss of consciousness, ultimately leading to a hysterectomy. Her current status is unknown.
In November 2023, NBC News reported the story of Hind Shamlakh, a pregnant woman rescued from rubble after an Israeli airstrike. She underwent an emergency C-section, and her baby was born with a broken arm. A local obstetrician recounted performing ten postmortem C-sections in a single week, rescuing infants who struggled to survive without proper care.
The relentless bombardment of Gaza has made delivery traumatic, with women delivering in shelters surrounded by tanks. Some women were delivered by thier husbands, unable to reach hospitals. One woman gave birth in a house surrounded by Israeli tanks and walked alone to the nearest hospital with her newborn, fearing indiscriminate attacks.
‘Bomb Now, Die Later’
Since October 2023, nearly 70% of Gaza’s structures, including 92% of its housing units, have been damaged or destroyed. This tactic, described as “switching off cities,” leads to a situation where the destruction of infrastructure and obstruction of supplies ensures a slow death and precludes new life.
The destruction has created a toxic environment, with bombing, rubble, and chemical debris leading to severe environmental hazards. As many as one in four newborns are affected by these conditions, according to Mohammed Abu Afesh, director of Medical Relief in Gaza City. Polluting agents increase pregnancy complications and lead to medical issues for children.
Gaza also faces extreme hunger and inadequate sanitation. Women report being unable to breastfeed or find formula. A sewing factory in Rafah began manufacturing diapers from lab coats and medical supplies due to the scarcity caused by the blockade. These conditions exacerbate the reproductive health crisis and impact future generations.
What’s next
The long-term consequences of the destruction of Gaza’s reproductive health infrastructure and the ongoing reprocide concerns will likely impact the region for generations, requiring extensive international support for recovery and healthcare.