Israel must immediately implement a ceasefire and concrete humanitarian measures that prioritise the needs of Palestinian women and girls in accordance with the International Court of Justice’s ruling of 26 January 2024, UN experts* said today.
“At this stage of the conflict, there is an urgent and growing need to address the near total disruption of schooling, massive destruction of housing, lack of access to sexual and reproductive health care and supplies, and heightened risk of arbitrary detention and violence, including gender-based violence, faced by women and girls in Gaza and the West Bank,” the UN experts said.
The experts expressed alarm at the severely limited access to medical treatment and essential supplies in hospitals, and reports of pregnant mothers having caesarean sections and injured children undergoing amputations without anaesthesia.
“Given the critical humanitarian situation, all attacks and raids by Israeli forces on Gaza’s hospitals – less than a third of which are even partially operational – must stop immediately,” they said.
The experts called on Israel to adopt the following six gender-responsive measures as a matter of the highest priority in order to address the urgent needs and vulnerable conditions of women and girls in Gaza and the West Bank:
- Implement an immediate ceasefire and take all possible measures to avoid civilian casualties and displacement from Gaza;
- Establish a field hospital at the Rafah Crossing or offshore from Gaza, specifically to provide medical assistance for pregnancy and amputations, and protect existing hospitals;
- Facilitate the delivery of food, drinking water, medicines, fuel and other supplies critical to the survival of women and girls, and open crossings for humanitarian aid and the movement of people, particularly the injured;
- Prioritize adequate supplies of menstrual hygiene products for women and girls in Gaza, as well as sexual and reproductive health care and psychosocial support services;
- Build additional shelters and schools in Gaza so that educational facilities are no longer used as shelters and girls can resume their education;
- Provide safe spaces and reparations for women and girls who have survived or are at risk of gender-based violence in Gaza and the West Bank, and ensure accountability for those who perpetrate violence against them, including Israeli authorities and settlers.
The experts noted that the measures recommended represent practical steps that Israel can take to prevent and mitigate further harm to Palestinian women and children, as required by international human rights law and other international obligations.
“Implementing these measures would be a long overdue demonstration that Israel cares about the protection of civilians and respects their human rights,” they said.
