In Gaza, at least 47 women and girls have been killed each day by the Israeli army in two years, according to the UN.

«Between October 2023 and December 2025, more than 38,000 women and girls have been killed in Gaza, victims of Israeli airstrikes and ground military operations. Among them, more than 22,000 women and 16,000 girls, averaging at least 47 women and girls killed every day», announced the spokesperson for UN Women, Sofia Calltorp, on Friday, April 17 in Geneva. By December 27, the Gaza Health Ministry, under the authority of Hamas, had recorded 71,266 deaths since the beginning of the conflict.

«Women and girls represent a significantly higher proportion of casualties than in previous conflicts in Gaza», affirmed Sofia Calltorp, stating that the latter «remain immersed in horrendous suffering despite the ceasefire declared in October 2025». According to her, «nearly 11,000 women and girls […] have suffered injuries so severe that they only survive with permanent disabilities». Not to mention the over 730 individuals who have been killed in the past six months. «We know that women and girls are among the victims, but the sex- and age-disaggregated data are sorely lacking», explained Sofia Calltrop.

Nearly 790,000 women facing food insecurity

Forced or limited displacements, limited access to water, food, healthcare, and humanitarian aid are extremely challenging: women and girls «must be at the heart of the humanitarian response efforts, urged Sofia Calltorp. Over one million women and girls have been displaced multiple times during the conflict, while nearly 790,000 are facing critical, if not catastrophic, food insecurity, according to UN Women.

According to the Gaza Health Ministry, a total of 72,345 individuals have been killed in the territory since the bloody attacks on October 7, 2023 carried out by Hamas in Israel, triggering a high-intensity war in the enclave. In December 2023, South Africa filed a lawsuit with the International Court of Justice (ICJ), accusing Israel of committing a «genocide» in Gaza. In January 2024, in a resounding decision without ruling on the merits, the ICJ called on Israel to «prevent any act of genocide, warning of a «real and imminent risk» of «irreparable prejudice» to Palestinians.