Shocking numbers: 63 women are killed every day the war continues in Gaza
While women constitute 49% of the Gaza Strip’s population of about 2.4 million people, they have had the lion’s share of the hell of war raging in the Gaza Strip since October 7.
The Hamas government’s Ministry of Health estimates that 72% of the 30,878 people who died in the war were women and children.
Attention is drawn to the tragic conditions experienced by Palestinian women in Gaza, who sometimes alone bear the brunt of the scourge of war and its repercussions, from displacement and exodus from one region to another in disastrous conditions in which the minimum necessities of life are lacking, not to mention facing the possibility of losing the breadwinner and trying to protect and feed children.
UN estimates that at least 9,000 women have been killed by Israeli forces since the outbreak of the war in Gaza. This number is likely an underestimate, as many women are reported to have been killed under the rubble.
UN described the war in Gaza as “a war against women as well.”
The commission reported that about 63 women are killed every day in Gaza, and that approximately 37 mothers are killed daily.
The authority stated in February that women and children constitute about 70% of the victims of the war in Gaza.
The statement was based on preliminary information collected by the UN Women’s Commission as a rapid assessment of 120 women in Gaza during the period between 8 and 11 February, more than 4 out of every 5 women confirmed that their family members eat, on average, half the amount of food they ate before the start of the war, or less. Mothers and adult women are responsible for obtaining food, but they eat last and in smaller quantities than everyone else.
The statement also stated, “About 9 out of every 10 women indicated that it was difficult for them to obtain food compared to men. Some women resort to extreme coping measures, such as searching for food under rubble or in garbage cans.”
The Commission demanded the immediate arrival of humanitarian aid to Gaza, and an end to “the killing, bombing, and destruction of basic infrastructure.”
The commission added: “Unless there is an immediate ceasefire on humanitarian grounds, more people will die in the coming days and weeks.”
The World Health Organization estimates that there are about 52,000 pregnant women in the Gaza Strip who are at risk due to the collapse of the health system and the deterioration of humanitarian conditions amid the raging war.
Fears are not limited to the birth itself but extend to keeping children alive in light of the deprivation of basic materials such as water and food. More than 20,000 babies were born during the war in Gaza.
The danger does not only threaten women who are close to giving birth, but all pregnant women are at risk due to food shortages and poor health conditions during wartime.
According to the UN, 700,000 women and girls currently lack access to sanitary pads, clean water, and privacy.
