Gaza's Health Ministry has called for an international investigation after recording a sharp rise in congenital anomalies among newborns — 260 cases in the first nine months of 2026, more than the 184 recorded in the whole of 2022, the year before the war began.

Source: Press TV

The figures were reported on November 6 by a medical source speaking to the Palestinian news agency, and the ministry's call for a probe was reported on Saturday. The source said 322 cases were recorded in 2025 — a 75 percent rise on 2022.

Source: Shafaqna (WAFA)

260Congenital anomaly cases recorded in Gaza, Jan-Sep 2026 (Health Ministry via WAFA)
184Cases in all of 2022, before the war
322Cases recorded in 2025
151%Neonatal unit occupancy in September, UN OCHA reported Nov 6

The reported conditions include cleft lip and palate, abnormalities of the external genitalia that can make it difficult to determine a newborn's sex at birth, shortened upper limbs, and umbilical hernias, according to the ministry's reporting.

Health Ministry Director-General Munir al-Bursh warned that the figures constitute a serious health warning. He said an investigation should examine possible contributing factors, including maternal malnutrition, exposure to environmental pollutants and interruptions in prenatal care during the war.

Counts are not rates

The medical source cited by the Palestinian news agency itself noted that the figures alone do not establish the rate of congenital anomalies among newborns or their causes — which is precisely why the ministry is asking for an independent international scientific investigation.

A newborn system already past capacity

The call lands on a maternity system that UN OCHA, in a report published November 6, said is being squeezed by Israeli restrictions on essential supplies and equipment. OCHA reported neonatal unit occupancy reached 151 percent in September, special-care baby units were operating at 199 percent of capacity, and nearly 63 percent of deliveries were classified as high-risk.

OCHA also said Israeli authorities notified UN agencies on November 1 that humanitarian and commercial shipments from Egypt would be suspended — a step the ministry says deepens the shortages facing hospitals.

Human Rights Watch reported in January 2025 that pregnant women in Gaza faced serious health risks because of the war, the blockade, the destruction of health facilities, and shortages of food, water and medicine.

What is solid

  • The ministry recorded 260 anomaly cases in Jan-Sep 2026 against 184 in all of 2022 (medical source to WAFA; Press TV)
  • 322 cases were recorded in 2025, a 75% rise on 2022 (same source)
  • OCHA reported neonatal occupancy at 151% and special-care units at 199% in September, in its Nov 6 report

What is only claimed

  • What is causing the rise is not established — the ministry lists malnutrition, pollutants and lost prenatal care as factors to investigate, and the source itself says the counts alone do not prove a rate or a cause

No international investigation has been announced yet. For now, the ministry's numbers — and its director-general's warning — put newborn health alongside food, water and shelter on the list of Gaza systems that officials say the war and the restrictions have pushed past their limits.