UN Palestinian Rights Committee 68d ago

Sofia Calltorp, Chief of Humanitarian Action at UN Women in Geneva, stated on 17 April 2026 that a new analysis was showing how the war had affected women and girls in Gaza. Six months after the ceasefire in Gaza, women and girls continued to face severe and persistent risks, as humanitarian needs remain critical and recovery conditions remain fragile. A new analysis published by UN Women showed that more than 38,000 women and girls — including over 22,000 women and 16,000 girls — had been killed in Gaza between October 2023 and December 2025, representing an average of 47 women and girls killed per day. The report, The Cost of the War in Gaza on Women and Girls, also highlighted that nearly 11,000 women and girls had sustained injuries resulting in lifelong disabilities. The actual number of casualties was likely higher, as many bodies remained trapped under rubble, while the collapse of health information systems had significantly constrained the documentation of deaths and injuries. Nearly one million women and girls had been displaced, many of them repeatedly. Intensive damage to infrastructure had made it impossible for women and girls to access health care and other life-saving services. UN Women called for the ceasefire to be respected, with full compliance with its terms, respect for international law, strengthened accountability, and the protection of women and girls alongside unimpeded humanitarian assistance at scale. Women and girls had to be at the centre of response and recovery, and meaningful participation in peacebuilding and reconstruction. UN Women remained on the ground in Gaza partnering with women-led and women's rights organizations, providing funding, coordination, and technical support, said Ms. Calltorp. Read the report: https://www.un.org/unispal/document/advocacy-brief-the-cost-of-war-in-gaza-on-women-and-girls-un-women-17apr26/