’Reprocide’: “Israel” Targets Reproductive Future in Gaza
By Staff, Agencies
A new report revealed that the “Israeli” occupation entity has, for decades, carried out a “reproductive genocide” against Palestinians, including the destruction of medical systems, the claiming of women and children, and environmental damage contributing to infertility.
According to the report by the Palestinian Feminist Collective, these practices have intensified since the beginning of the "Israeli" aggression on Gaza on October 7, 2023, with the stated aim of preventing the continuation of Palestinian life.
Meanwhile, last week, an independent United Nations inquiry concluded that "Israeli" occupation forces [IOF] deliberately targeted Palestinian children.
The UN report reviewed a broad range of harms against children, including sniper and drone shootings, detention-related torture, reproductive violence, and the destruction of schools and hospitals.
According to the inquiry, more than 21,000 Palestinian children have been martyred since October 2023, with an additional 5,160 believed to be buried under rubble. It also stated that by October 2024, at least 15,000 children had lost their mothers.
In one documented case, the IOF cut electricity to al-Nasr pediatric hospital, resulting in the deaths of four infants whose decomposed bodies were later found still attached to non-functioning life-support machines.
Moreover, pregnancy risks and miscarriages in Gaza have reportedly surged, with the UN estimating 50,000 pregnant women at the start of the war and about 5,500 monthly births, while access to emergency care has been severely restricted.
The report said miscarriage rates have risen by over 300% amid malnutrition, anemia, and lack of prenatal care, increasing risks of premature birth and complications.
Separately, the Palestinian Feminist Collective report, “A Predatory State: 'Israeli' Systemic Sexualized and Gendered Violence Against Palestinians,” supported by the Progressive International, details severe reproductive hardship in Gaza.
It cited shortages of clean water, menstrual products, and basic supplies forcing women to rely on improvised alternatives or birth-control pills, and says Palestinian mothers in Gaza are left to “shoulder the impossible task of giving life and caring for their children.”
Furthermore, the report describes births in Gaza taking place under extreme conditions, with hospitals lacking fuel, electricity, anesthesia, and sterile equipment, forcing women to deliver in shelters, homes, or on rubble-strewn streets.
It cites medical accounts of surgeries performed without anesthesia and says maternity wards and IVF clinics have been destroyed, while toxic munitions may have long-term effects on fertility.
Beyond the medical crisis, the report highlights heavy strain on mothers in Gaza, with many acting as sole caregivers or separated from family due to displacement and detention, adding that they are left to “shoulder the impossible task of giving life and caring for their children” amid starvation, disease, and displacement.
To illustrate its findings, the report cited the cases of Rania Abu Anza, whose IVF-born twins and their father were killed in an airstrike, and Jomana Arafa, who was killed with her newborn twins and mother shortly after childbirth while sheltering in an “Israeli”-designated “safe humanitarian zone,” calling the cases “only the tip of the iceberg.”
Similarly, a UN commission report said the war in Gaza systematically destroyed reproductive healthcare infrastructure, including maternity wards, prenatal services, fertility clinics, and neonatal intensive care units, while also noting that famine emerged in Gaza for the first time due to severe food restrictions.
Additonally, the report cited historical statements on Palestinian population growth, including remarks attributed to Arnon Soffer describing “the wombs of Arab women” as a “national security” threat, and comments from Golda Meir expressing concern over the birth of “another Palestinian child.”
Commenting on the findings, UN Special Rapporteur Francesca Albanese said the report reflects a system that has turned Palestinian life, bodies, and reproduction into instruments of control, describing the abuses as part of a broader system of domination and erasure rather than isolated incidents.
In this context, paper by Hala Shoman published by the Institute of Palestine Studies defines “Reprocide” as the deliberate targeting of a group’s reproductive capacity, through both direct violence and structural measures aimed at preventing births and undermining population survival.
