UNFPA deputy director describes ‘dystopian’ devastation in Gaza, urges full humanitarian access and ceasefire

Andrew Saboten, the deputy executive director for management at the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), said after a recent visit to Gaza and the West Bank that he saw “the sheer extent of the devastation” and called for a permanent ceasefire and full, sustained humanitarian access to reach women and girls in need.

Saboten said Gaza had been “flattened mile upon mile of rubble and dust,” and that UNFPA staff in Gaza had experienced deaths in their families and widespread home destruction while continuing to deliver services. “This is not collateral damage, and I cannot unsee what I have seen,” he said.

The trip, which Saboten described as his first to Palestine, focused on maternal health, protection services and psychosocial support. Saboten told reporters that Gaza’s health system is severely damaged and that urgent steps are needed so aid already staged at border crossings can enter and reach hospitals, maternity wards and community services.

UNFPA’s on-the-ground findings and needs

Saboten said approximately 94% of hospitals in Gaza are damaged or destroyed and that newborns and maternity care are under acute stress: premature and low-birth-weight infants now account for about 70% of newborns, and roughly one in three pregnancies is considered high risk. He said about 130 births occur each…