Women and children account for roughly 70 per cent of people killed in the war in Gaza, with two mothers killed every hour since hostilities erupted more than 100 days ago, according to a UN Women report published on Friday.
The report examines the gendered impact of the conflict, which has left at least more than 23,000 Palestinians dead, according to Gaza health authorities, about 16,000 of whom are women or children.
Failure and trauma
“We have seen evidenced once more that women and children are the first victims of conflict and that our duty to seek peace is a duty to them. We are failing them,” said UN Women Executive Director Sima Bahous in a statement issued alongside the report.
“That failure, and the generational trauma inflicted on the Palestinian people over these 100 days and counting, will haunt all of us for generations to come” she warned.
UN Women also reiterated deep concern over the accounts of unconscionable sexual violence and other gender-based violence during the Hamas-led attacks against Israel on 7 October that sparked the conflict.
The agency called for accountability, justice, and support for all those affected, and for the immediate and unconditional release of all hostages.
‘Impossible decisions’
UN Women said the Gaza conflict “is fundamentally a protection crisis for women” at a time when nowhere in the enclave is safe.
Of the 1.9 million people now displaced, close to a million are women and girls, and the “impossible decisions” they have to make regarding whether to evacuate – when and how, as well as where to go – “are entrenched with gender differentiated fears and experiences,” given risks of attacks and harassment while on the move.
UN Women further estimated that at least 3,000 women may have become widows and heads of households, and at least 10,000 children may now be fatherless. As a result, more women fear families will resort to desperate coping mechanisms such as early marriage.
Meanwhile, women’s rights organizations continue to operate amidst the crisis. In November, UN Women conducted a rapid survey of 12 women-led organizations and one youth-led organization which found that most, 83 per cent, were at least partially operating, focused mainly on the emergency response.
However, less than one per cent of funding under the 2023 Flash Appeal for Gaza has directly gone to women’s groups.
Staying the course
The report is part of UN Women’s six-month response plan for Gaza, which includes providing emergency food assistance to over 14,000 women-headed households and supporting the distribution of items requested by women on the ground such as clothing, sanitary products, and baby formula.
The agency is also partnering with women-led organizations to deliver gender responsive services for gender-based violence; establishing women-led protection and response committees in shelters, and convening regular consultations with women’s organizations to discuss the challenges they face.
