UN claims the majority of Gaza war’s casualties are women and children

Since Hamas’ surprise onslaught on Israel, the Gaza conflict has claimed the lives of around 16,000 women and children, with an estimated two mothers dying every hour. This information was released on Friday by the U.N. office that promotes gender equality.

UN Women further said that at least 10,000 children may have lost their dads and at least 3,000 women may have become widows and household heads as a consequence of the more than 100-day battle.

The organization highlighted gender disparity and the hardships faced by women who must escape violent situations with their children and face repeated displacement in a study that was made public on Friday. It said that of the 2.3 million people living in the area, 1.9 million are internally displaced, with “nearly one million women and girls” looking for safety and refuge.

This is “a cruel inversion,” according to UN Women’s executive director Sima Bahous, of the warfare that took place 15 years before to the October 7 assault by Hamas. She claimed that in the past, males made up 67% of all civilian deaths in Gaza and the West Bank, with women making up fewer than 14%.

She repeated the demands made on October 7 by U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres for a humanitarian truce and the prompt release of all hostages held prisoner in Israel.

On January 19, 2024, at a burial in a refugee camp in Tulkarm, the occupied West Bank, relatives grieve over the corpse of a Palestinian slain during a days-long Israeli raid, in the midst of continuous fighting between Israel and the Palestinian terrorist group Hamas in Gaza.
Experts warn that Pakistan and Iran run the risk of joining the Israel-Gaza conflict.
In a statement that went with the findings, Bahous added, “However much we mourn the situation of the women and girls of Gaza today, we will mourn further tomorrow without unrestricted humanitarian assistance and an end to the destruction and killing.”

“Safety, medication, medical attention, and housing are denied to these women and girls. They are about to get hungry and starve. They are most severely lacking in fairness and hope, she said.

70% of the approximately 25,000 Palestinians who have died in the fighting are women and children, according to the health ministry in Hamas-run Gaza. According to the UN, a quarter of the population in Gaza, or more than 500,000 people, are hungry.

Approximately 1,200 Israelis lost their lives in the Hamas assault on October 7, which started the conflict, while another 250 were kidnapped by terrorists. It’s estimated that there are still more than 100 captives being kept prisoner in Gaza.

UN Women has received “shocking accounts of unconscionable sexual violence during the attacks,” according to Bahous, who repeated appeals for justice, responsibility, and assistance for all those impacted by Hamas.

The agency said that women-led and women’s rights groups are still active in Gaza despite the intensifying violence. 83% of the women’s groups in the Gaza Strip that were polled reported being at least somewhat active, with a primary emphasis on emergency response to hostilities.

On January 19, 2024, at a burial in a refugee camp in Tulkarm, the occupied West Bank, relatives grieve over the corpse of a Palestinian slain during a days-long Israeli raid, in the midst of continuous fighting between Israel and the Palestinian terrorist group Hamas in Gaza.
UN warns of hunger in Gaza due to fighting.
However, UN Women reported that just 0.09% of funds from last year’s flash appeal for Gaza went to local or national groups that support women’s rights.

Bahous said that additional relief, particularly for women and children, has to reach Gaza in order to put a stop to the conflict.

“Peace is needed now,” she said. We owe this to all women and girls, both Palestinian and Israeli. Their dispute is not this. They can no longer afford to pay the fee.