UN Rapporteur Highlights Unprecedented Crisis for Women in Gaza

Gaza: Reem Alsalem, the United Nations Special Rapporteur on Violence against Women and Girls, has remarked that the situation in the Gaza Strip has reached unprecedented proportions not seen in modern history. According to Palestine News and Information Agency - WAFA, Alsalem emphasized in a press statement that Israel's attacks on Palestinian women are part of a systematic strategy of genocide. She asserted that the killing of Palestinian women solely based on their gender constitutes both a war crime and a crime against humanity. The UN expert highlighted that the targeting of women and the destruction of reproductive health services are being used as tools of Israeli genocide in Gaza. Alsalem pointed out that a comprehensive review of Israel's actions indicates that targeting Palestinians' reproductive capacity is central to this strategy. She referenced the United Nations Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide, which prohibits acts aimed at preventing reproduction within a particular group. She further elaborated that the destruction of the healthcare system, the abandonment of newborns, and creating intolerable conditions for pregnant and breastfeeding women serve as instruments of Israeli genocidal violence aimed at the destruction of the Palestinian population. Alsalem also addressed the severe impact of the ongoing attacks on women and children, citing data from the United Nations Population Fund. She noted that approximately 800,000 women have been forcibly displaced, with nearly one million women and girls suffering from severe food insecurity. The UN official highlighted that the rate of abortion has surged by 300% due to inadequate medical care, psychological trauma, and ongoing bombings. She stated that this situation goes beyond genocide, involving premeditated killing and the erosion of legal norms of armed conflict.