Two distinct developments concerning Gaza's present and future have been reported: figures from Gaza's ministry of health, cited by the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) on July 23, show that miscarriages in Gaza more than tripled between January and June 2026 compared with the preceding six months, with more than 3,950 cases recorded; separately, an Israeli lawyer and entrepreneur affiliated with the Institute for Structural Reforms has outlined a long-term economic reconstruction proposal centred on home ownership, which he says has been presented to Palestinian officials and international institutions.
Gaza maternity crisis deepens as miscarriages triple; separate economic rebuilding plan proposed
Two distinct developments concerning Gaza's present and future have been reported: figures from Gaza's ministry of health, cited by the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) on July 23, show that miscarriages in Gaza more than tripled between January and June 2026 compared with the preceding six months, with more than 3,950 cases recorded; separately, an Israeli lawyer and entrepreneur affiliated with the Institute for Structural Reforms has outlined a long-term economic reconstruction proposal centred on home ownership, which he says has been presented to Palestinian officials and international institutions.
According to France 24, OCHA documented conditions in Gaza — including forced displacement, overcrowding, unsanitary living conditions, acute food insecurity, limited access to safe drinking water, and persistent insecurity — that medical specialists describe as making pregnancy significantly more dangerous than before the conflict. The miscarriage rate, according to the ministry of health figures cited by OCHA, was approximately one miscarriage for every five live births in the first half of 2026.
Dr Rewaa Nasser, a gynaecology and obstetrics specialist whose maternity ward relocated from Al-Shifa Medical Complex to Al-Helou International Hospital in northwestern Gaza, told France 24 that repeated displacement, overcrowding, constant psychological stress, difficulty accessing regular medical care, and delays in detecting complications had collectively made pregnancy 'riskier and more complex than before.' She noted that many complications could, under normal circumstances, be prevented through proper diet, supplements, and routine prenatal care, but that access to these resources has become more difficult.
Dr Shereen Al-Alawi, a gynaecologist and obstetrician at the Nasser Medical Complex in Khan Younis in southern Gaza, shared that assessment and added, according to France 24, that substances from explosives could be a contributing factor in the rise of miscarriages and birth defects. She cited studies, including one conducted in Gaza between 2011 and 2019, documenting the negative impact of prenatal exposure to war debris containing heavy metals.
According to France 24, the UN reports that at least 15 women in Gaza give birth outside any health facility every week, without pain relief or medical support. Dr Al-Alawi said hospitals are overwhelmed: Gaza has only 2,000 hospital beds for a population of more than two million, including approximately 50,000 pregnant women. As of March 2026, only 15% of health facilities were capable of providing emergency obstetric and neonatal care, according to France 24. She described staff being forced to deliver babies on the hospital floor due to a lack of beds.
According to France 24, since a ceasefire was announced on October 10, 2025, 1,254 Palestinians have been killed and 4,121 wounded, citing ministry of health figures reported by OCHA. The outlet also noted that Israeli restrictions on medical supplies, along with conflict-related destruction, have caused shortages of beds and critical supplies at remaining facilities.
On the reconstruction side, the author of the Jerusalem Post opinion piece — identified as an Israeli lawyer and entrepreneur — describes a proposal developed over three years by the Institute for Structural Reforms. The plan envisions approximately 400,000 residential units in high-rise buildings across Gaza, primarily for refugees and those whose homes were destroyed, with per-unit construction costs estimated at between $60,000 and $100,000. Rather than donation-funded shelters, families would finance homes through long-term mortgages of up to 40 years, using allocated land as equity and collateral.
The Jerusalem Post piece argues that home ownership would give families a financial stake in societal stability, providing a foundation for economic mobility and civic responsibility. The broader plan also calls for industrial zones, transportation infrastructure, energy supply, and commercial centres, as well as development of Gaza's approximately 40 kilometres of Mediterranean coastline for tourism and commerce.
According to the Jerusalem Post, financing could involve an international banking consortium potentially supported by institutions such as the World Bank and political-risk insurance mechanisms such as MIGA. The author states the proposal has been presented to Palestinian officials and has generated interest, with discussions also underway with international institutions and senior figures.
The Jerusalem Post piece acknowledges that no economic plan can substitute for security, legitimate governance, and the rule of law, and that reconstruction would require guarantees that infrastructure would not again become an instrument of conflict.
- No independent verification of the Gaza ministry of health figures on miscarriage rates is provided by either source.
- The sources do not establish the current overall mortality rate among mothers or newborns in Gaza.
- The Jerusalem Post proposal does not specify which Palestinian officials received the plan or what form the interest expressed took.
- No response from the World Bank or MIGA regarding the reconstruction financing proposal is included in any source.
- The sources do not establish what governance or security arrangements would oversee the proposed reconstruction.
- The France 24 report does not include any response from Israeli authorities regarding restrictions on medical supplies or access to hospitals.
- The studies cited by Dr Al-Alawi regarding heavy metals and birth defects are not named or linked in full.
- The current total number of functioning maternity beds in Gaza is not specified.
- The sources do not address the legal or political status of land that would serve as collateral under the mortgage proposal.
- The Jerusalem Post — original — by SHARGA BIRAN
- France 24 — by The FRANCE 24 Observers
Read the original at The Jerusalem Post