50,000 pregnant women in Gaza facing nightmare: UNFPA

Around 50,000 pregnant women in Gaza are facing a "nightmare" situation with the healthcare system there on the brink of collapse, the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) representative for the state of Palestine Dominic Allen has said. 

Speaking to the CNN, he said about 5,000 of the 50,000 pregnant women are expected to give birth in the coming month, and some could face complications.

"Imagine going through that process in those final stages and your last trimester before giving birth, with possible complications, without clothing, without hygiene, support, and not sure about what the next day, next hour, next minute will bring for themselves and for their unborn child," Allen said.

Stories coming out of hospitals have been "harrowing," Allen said. 

One midwife at a maternity hospital in Gaza told Allen that since the beginning of the conflict, some midwives have been unable to even reach the maternity ward to provide assistance due to the unsafe environment, the CNN reports.

"Humanitarian aid and supplies to Gaza must be allowed through. There must be a humanitarian corridor opened, and humanitarian law abided by. The pregnant women must therefore get access to those lifesaving health services," Allen said.