The Deputy Executive Director of UN Women, Sarah Hendricks, warned of the impact of the escalation by the Israeli occupation forces in the Gaza Strip, describing what is happening as a “deep crisis” that the region has not witnessed in decades, stressing the importance of identifying and addressing the special and urgent needs and vulnerabilities of women.
The UN official pointed out that women in Gaza are indeed living in a very dark and difficult time, expressing UN Women’s concern about the impact on the lives of women and girls,
She further underlined the necessity to ensure the protection of women and girls in the occupied Palestinian territories and an immediate ceasefire.
The UN official added: We have issued a new assessment, a rapid assessment and humanitarian response to the situation in the occupied Palestinian territories. This assessment aims to highlight the profound impact of the ongoing conflict on people in Gaza, including women and girls in particular.
Moreover, Hendrix Pointed out that the horrific bombing of Gaza has left 5,087 dead since October 7, including 2,055 children and 1,119 women, noting that the ongoing hostilities and their grave humanitarian consequences create more risks and vulnerabilities for women in the Gaza Strip.
The UN official noted that even before the crisis and the recent escalation in Gaza, the situation in Gaza was very bad, saying: It was already terrible, and now the situation has deteriorated significantly.
Hendricks explained: Right now, over 500,000 women and girls have been displaced from their homes in Gaza. In addition, our estimates indicate that the violence has produced approximately 900 new families headed by women after the killing of their husbands, and the numbers are increasing.
She finally asserted that even before the outbreak of violence, the 2023 Humanitarian Needs Report reported that 668,000 people, especially women and girls, or nearly 30% of the population, needed protection from gender-based violence.
