ActionAid International issued a stark warning on Thursday that Gaza could become a “graveyard for women and girls” after 200 days of ongoing humanitarian crisis. In a press statement, the organization revealed that 70% of the casualties are women and children, with approximately 10,000 women killed in Gaza, including about 6,000 mothers, as reported by the United Nations Entity for Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Women.
The organization stated that there are no safe places in Gaza from death and destruction. According to reports, at least 18 children were killed during air raids on Rafah over the weekend. Additionally, a pregnant woman was saved by doctors who performed an emergency cesarean section to rescue her daughter.
ActionAid highlighted that intense air raids were particularly focused on Rafah, Deir al-Balah, and Gaza City. According to the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, this has led to hundreds of thousands of people seeking refuge in fear for their lives.
The statement further detailed that women and girls have been uniquely affected by the crisis in Gaza over the past 200 days. Currently, only three of the 11 partially functioning hospitals in the region can provide maternal care. Pregnant women are forced to give birth without adequate care or medical supplies, including antibiotics and painkillers, as per the United Nations Population Fund. Severe food shortages are also causing malnutrition among many women, to the extent that they are unable to breastfeed their newborns, while some pregnant mothers are experiencing late miscarriages due to malnutrition.
The report also noted that approximately 690,000 women and girls are dealing with menstrual hygiene each month amidst a severe shortage of menstrual products, clean water, soap, and private toilets. Recent reports from UNRWA indicate that women and girls are among those detained in Gaza, facing poor treatment, including potential harassment and sexual violence by Israeli forces.
Despite warnings from experts of an impending famine in Gaza, aid entering the region remains insufficient. Data analyzed by UNRWA shows that the average number of aid trucks entering Gaza daily in April was 191, a significant decrease from the 500 trucks per day before October 7. Oxfam estimates that Gaza currently needs about 1,500 trucks of aid daily to address the shortages.
The foundation also emphasized the unacceptable risks faced by humanitarian workers delivering life-saving aid in Gaza, mentioning the tragic deaths of seven relief workers in an airstrike just a week ago. Meanwhile, aid remains blocked from reaching the most needy areas.
Finally, the organization called for immediate and significant increases in humanitarian relief and demanded a thorough investigation into a mass grave discovered at the Nasser Medical Complex in Khan Younis, where 300 bodies were buried. They stressed that the full extent of human rights violations and horrors in Gaza has not yet been fully revealed, underscoring the dire need for increased aid despite the ongoing severe shortages.
