Gaza recorded 260 cases of congenital anomalies among newborns during the first nine months of 2026. This surpasses the 184 cases documented throughout 2022, the Health Ministry said on Friday.
Health Ministry Director-General Munir al-Bursh described the figures as a serious health warning and called for an independent international scientific investigation.
The ministry documented 322 cases in 2025, marking a 75 percent increase compared to 2022.
Bursh expressed concern over the rise amid Israel’s war on Gaza, starvation, displacement and the collapse of healthcare services.
The anomalies requiring surveillance and specialized care include cleft lip and palate, atypical external genitalia that can make determining a newborn’s gender difficult, shortened upper limbs and umbilical hernias.
Some newborns may have multiple anomalies, increasing the need for diagnostic testing, surgery and long-term medical care, health authorities added.
The ministry stated that the figures alone do not establish the prevalence of congenital anomalies among newborns or prove what caused them.
It called for an independent international scientific investigation into possible contributing factors, including maternal malnutrition, exposure to pollutants and the disruption of prenatal care during the conflict.
Behind every number is a child who needs treatment and a mother seeking reassurance, the ministry said. Officials stressed the need to protect pregnant women and ensure access to nutrition, screening and specialized surgery for newborns.
Israel launched its military offensive on the Gaza Strip on October 8, 2023, killing more than 74,000 Palestinians and wounding over 175,000 others, while destroying around 90 percent of the enclave’s civilian infrastructure, according to the Health Ministry.
A ceasefire agreement took effect on October 10, 2025, but Israeli attacks have continued. As of Thursday, violations of the agreement had killed 1,602 Palestinians and wounded 5,799 others.
