The total includes at least 22,000 women and 16,000 girls The agency’s humanitarian response chief, Sophia Coltorp, told journalists in Geneva that the figure amounts to an average of at least 47 women and girls killed every day.
““Those who died were mothers, they were daughters, sisters and friends who were loved very much by those around them.” He said killings have continued in recent months despite a ceasefire between Hamas fighters and Israeli forces.
Data also indicates that approximately 11,000 women and girls have been injured and many of them suffer life-altering disabilities. The actual number is likely to be higher as many bodies are still trapped under the debris., un women Said. According to Gaza health officials, more than 72,315 Palestinians have been killed and 172,137 others have been injured in the Gaza Strip since October 2023.
This has created a serious humanitarian emergency in Gaza, where many households are now headed by women, facing increasing economic hardship and security risks.
families stick together
Six months after the ceasefire in Gaza began last October, women and girls continue to face serious and persistent risks, as humanitarian needs remain acute and the recovery situation remains fragile.
“This war has reshaped families. Thousands of households are now headed by women,” stressed Ms Coltorp of UN Women. “After losing their husbands, they are left to support their families without income, support or access to essential services.”
Furthermore, “there is a complete lack of most services”, Ms Coltorp said, highlighting the urgent need for “the basics”, including sexual and reproductive health and access to sanitary pads. He recalled traveling to Gaza in November and meeting two women who had to give birth to their babies on the street, “because there was no transportation to bring them to any functional hospital”.
UN Women is calling for full respect of the ceasefire, adherence to international law and increased humanitarian assistance, stressing that women and girls must be at the center of recovery and peacebuilding efforts.
The agency remains in partnership with women-led and women’s rights organizations in Gaza.
Together with the UN system, aid partners and women’s organizations, UN Women works to deliver life-saving assistance to all women and girls and ensure that women’s organizations are funded and represented in decision-making and reconstruction.
