GENEVA: United Nations experts on Monday strongly condemned “unacceptable” violence by the Israeli military against Palestinian women and children during the ongoing relentless bombardment campaign in Gaza, particularly sexual violence and enforced disappearances.
“We are appalled that women are being targeted by Israel with such vicious, indiscriminate and disproportionate attacks, seemingly sparing no means to destroy their lives and deny them their fundamental human rights,” the seven special rapporteurs said in a statement.
The statement from the special rapporteurs highlighted instances of sexual violence, enforced disappearances, and indiscriminate attacks, declaring them as egregious violations of fundamental human rights.
In their joint statement, the special rapporteurs expressed profound dismay at the reported targeting of Palestinian women by Israeli forces, citing numerous accounts of sexual assault and violence against Palestinian women and girls, including those detained by Israeli occupation forces. The experts also raised concerns about enforced disappearances of Palestinian women and girls in Gaza.
The ongoing Israeli bombardment in Gaza since October 7, has killed more than 34,700 Palestinian people in Gaza, the majority of whom are women and children, as reported by Gaza’s health ministry.
The UN experts highlighted the dire humanitarian situation in Gaza, exacerbated by widespread destruction of housing and infrastructure, which disproportionately affects women and girls. They emphasized the challenges faced by pregnant and lactating women, including the direct bombardment of hospitals and denial of access to healthcare facilities, leading to a surge in miscarriages and infant mortality.
Furthermore, the destruction of Gaza’s largest fertility clinic and the deprivation of menstrual hygiene products for hundreds of thousands of women and girls underscored the extent of the humanitarian crisis in the region.
