Close to 493,000 women and girls are already displaced from their homes in Gaza following the ongoing conflict, according to the estimates of UN Women’s ‘Rapid Assessment and Humanitarian Response in the Occupied Palestinian Territory’.
Additionally, the violence has tragically resulted in a growing number of widows, as an estimated 900 women have become the heads of households following their male partner’s death.
Following the October 7 attack by Hamas on Israel and the ensuing Israeli attacks on Gaza, UN Women has analyzed the differentiated impact on women, men, boys, and girls, to ensure adequate responses to their needs.
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If no ceasefire is achieved, these numbers will continue to rise. Sarah Hendriks, UN Women Deputy Executive Director, said: “UN Women has called for an immediate humanitarian ceasefire and unimpeded access to humanitarian aid including food, water, fuel, and health supplies that are critical for the survival of women and girls in the Gaza Strip.
“It is imperative that we ensure immediate access to services for women and girls and ensure the prevention of gender-based violence. As the international community seeks to respond to this crisis, we must also wholeheartedly support and invest in women-led organizations which are at the frontline of the humanitarian response and promote the meaningful participation of women in humanitarian and political processes.”
The significant, largely displaced population of women and girls and new female-headed households, have unique and urgent needs and vulnerabilities that must be recognized and addressed.
These vulnerabilities are rooted in structural gender discrimination, including laws in Palestine that assume women to be under the protection and guardianship of men.
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