UNFPA: Former Gaza maternity hospital in ruins but maternal services continue
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Summary
An unidentified UNFPA representative said a former major maternity hospital in the Gaza Strip is in ruins but continues to provide services; UNFPA supports 22 facilities (including Al Shifa), reported 130 deliveries supported, has deployed 175 midwives and is bringing medicines until facility-based deliveries reach full coverage.
An unidentified UNFPA representative said that a former major maternity hospital in the Gaza Strip is now in ruins but continues to offer maternal services, as the agency steps up staffing and supplies amid the conflict.
The representative said "This used to be 1 of the largest maternity hospitals in the entire Gaza Strip," and that "today, as you can see behind me, it's all in ruins." He added, "It's still persisting. It's still functional. It's providing great services to women and girls." The remarks framed ongoing service delivery at damaged facilities as central to UNFPA's work in the area.
UNFPA's role and recent activity
The speaker said, "UNFPA has been with the Gaza Strip population ever since the war started, and we've never left," and described the agency's current support as covering 22 health facilities, including "5 major hospitals like Al Shifa." The representative reported that UNFPA "witnessed 130 deliveries that we support," and said "98% of these deliveries take place in health facilities."
The representative voiced concern that, in his words, "as we speak, 18 of this health of this delivery is actually taking place outside health institutions." The phrase in the transcript is grammatically unclear; it is not specified whether that remark refers to 18 individual deliveries, 18 percent, or another measure, and the transcript does not clarify that point.
Operational response and targets
When asked what UNFPA is doing, the representative said the agency is "continuing to bring in medical equipment and supplies" and "continuing to deploy midwives," stating that "as we speak, we deploy 175 across the Gaza Strip." He added that UNFPA will "continue to bring in medicines from all over the world until the situation is able to reach all the 100% of deliveries in Gaza," describing a goal of full facility-based delivery coverage.
The transcript records statements of UNFPA activity and concern but does not include specific policy requests, detailed funding amounts, or named officials beyond the agency reference. The representative's identity and exact title are not provided in the transcript.
