Groups Urge Israel to Lift Gaza Aid Restrictions As Maternal Healthcare Collapse

International human rights and medical organizations have intensified calls for Israel to immediately remove all barriers on humanitarian aid entering Gaza, including medicine, food, fuel, and essential supplies. The demand came following the release of two major reports on January 14, 2026, by Physicians for Human Rights (PHR) in collaboration with the Global Human Rights Clinic at the University of Chicago Law School, and separately by Physicians for Human Rights–Israel (PHRI). These documents expose the near-total breakdown of maternal, reproductive, and neonatal healthcare in Gaza due to prolonged conflict, infrastructure destruction, and strict restrictions on aid deliveries.

The reports detail alarming rises in maternal and neonatal mortality, miscarriages, premature births, and dangerous deliveries without proper medical support. Clinicians and witnesses described widespread malnutrition among pregnant and lactating women, shortages of critical items like baby formula, prenatal medications, incubators, and diagnostic tools, and the impact of repeated displacements, bombardment, lack of clean water, and infections. One report, based on 78 interviews with international medical volunteers working in Gaza from January to October 2025, highlights how these conditions have caused preventable deaths, long-term reproductive harm, and infertility risks. A 41% drop in birth rates compared to pre-conflict levels was also noted in some periods, raising concerns about demographic impacts.

Key contributors to the crisis include the severe damage or destruction of most hospitals and maternity facilities, fuel shortages halting equipment, blocked medical imports often labeled as “dual-use,” and recent decisions barring dozens of international aid groups from operating in Gaza. Local healthcare workers struggle with limited resources, forcing mothers into life-threatening situations where they must prioritize their children’s immediate needs over their own health. The organizations describe these as systematic attacks on reproductive capacity, with some analyses suggesting they meet criteria under international law for grave violations, including elements of genocide conventions related to preventing births.

In response, PHR, GHRC, and PHRI are demanding unrestricted humanitarian access to rebuild Gaza’s health infrastructure, restore essential maternal and newborn services, and ensure sufficient supplies reach those in need. They call for protection of Palestinian health workers, improved coordination with aid partners, and urgent facilitation of food, water, and medical aid at scale. Without these measures, the groups warn of continued preventable suffering and irreversible damage to family health and future generations in the territory.