Women in the Gaza war
Two-thirds of the then 11,000 Palestinian casualties reported by the Gaza Health Ministry in early November were women and children, highlighting the disproportionate suffering endured by these groups.
On 19 February 2024, a group of United Nations special rapporteurs released a report stating "rights experts call for probe into violations against Palestinian women and girls.
Allegations surfaced suggesting that Palestinian women and girls were deliberately targeted and extrajudicially executed by the invading Israel Defense Forces, even when they were holding white pieces of cloth.
[2][22] Liat Atzili, who was kidnapped from the Nir Oz kibbutz, in a long interview, testified that in captivity she spoke at length with her guards and suffered no physical violence.
[24] The reports of rape and sexual violence are based on testimonies from survivors of the massacre at the music festival near Re'im, and from other residents of Gaza envelope communities.
[30] According to a joint statement by UNICEF, the WHO, UNFPA, and the UNRWA, women in Gaza, along with children and newborns, have borne a disproportionate amount of suffering during the war, saying that "the bombardments, damaged or non-functioning health facilities, massive levels of displacement, collapsing water and electricity supplies as well as restricted access to food and medicines, are severely disrupting maternal, newborn, and child health services".
[39] Speaking to Euro-Mediterranean Human Rights Monitor, one Palestinian woman, who was pregnant, described being forced to undress by an Israeli soldier, who threatened to rape her.
[39] On 19 February 2024, a group of United Nations special rapporteurs released a report stating "rights experts call for probe into violations against Palestinian women and girls.
Allegations surfaced suggesting that Palestinian women and girls were deliberately targeted and extrajudicially executed by the invading Israel Defense Forces, even when they were holding white pieces of cloth.
[5][6] The UN report states, "Palestinian women and girls in detention have also been subjected to multiple forms of sexual assault, such as being stripped naked and searched by male Israeli army officers.
[49] The Palestinian Prisoner's Society stated men had been subjected to severe sexual assault, including attempted rape and violating strip searches.
[50] On December 14, 2023, a group of United Nations experts stated that women and girls in the West Bank and occupied East Jerusalem are at "constant risk of settler violence".
[7] The experts noted that Palestinian women in the occupied West Bank have "faced heightened discrimination, harassment, sexual assault, and attacks by Israeli authorities and settlers" since October 7.
"[52] While Israel denied the allegations and threatened to prosecute her lawyer for incitement, the released prisoner reported rape threats against both herself and other incarcerated women.
[64] Of the 1.1 million Gazans who were forced to flee northern Gaza following an Israeli evacuation order, 19,000 were estimated to be pregnant women, with some suffering miscarriages due to stress and shock.
[67][68] Human Rights Watch, citing the lack of prenatal care and access to functioning medical facilities, warned the conflict would lead to increases in both maternal and infant mortalities.
[70] An analysis by the UNRWA found that the lack of food security put lactating and pregnant women at increased risk of lower immune function which would lead to higher rates of nutrition-related illnesses such as anaemia, preeclampsia, and haemorrhage along with other maternal malnutrition illnesses, which in turn would lead to higher rates of maternal and infant mortality.
[74] In June 2024, the UNFPA executive director stated, "Women are delivering babies by caesarean section without anesthesia because there’s no energy, there’s no generator, the medicines are running out.
[81] Due to the lack of clean water and access to menstrual hygiene products, many women in Gaza were reported to be taking norethisterone to delay their periods.
[82] Human Rights Watch reported that, given the lack clean water supplies to manage their menstrual hygiene, women face increased risks of hepatitis B and thrush.
Women and children are the primary casualties in the Israel–Hamas war, with around 16,000 fatalities and approximately two mothers losing their lives every hour following Hamas' unexpected assault on Israel, as stated by the United Nations agency advocating for gender equality.
[86] Women in the occupied West Bank have struggled with insecurity brought about by the ongoing conflict, including invasive searches and heightened travel restrictions.
[7] The experts urged Israel to fulfill its duty as an occupying power to "prevent and protect women and girls ... from arbitrary detention, discrimination, and violence".
[7] The United Nations experts have expressed deep concern regarding the arbitrary imprisonment of numerous Palestinian women and girls, including human rights activists, journalists, and aid workers, in Gaza and the West Bank.
According to the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR), many of them have endured cruel treatment, lack of basic necessities like menstrual pads, food, and medication, as well as brutal physical abuse.
The experts further highlighted disturbing reports of sexual violence against Palestinian women and girls in detention, such as invasive searches conducted by male Israeli soldiers.
[102] Lt. Col. Or Ben Yehuda, commander of the Caracal Battalion, fought at the head of a force that killed 15 armed Hamas militants in Yated after long hours of fighting.
[103] In the Battle of Sufa her battalion killed over a hundred Hamas militants under her command, and together with Shayetet 13 cleared the outpost of infiltrators saving the lives of dozens of soldiers.
