The war in Gaza has taken a catastrophic toll on women and girls. They have lost homes and loved ones, and, as winter approaches, food, water, protection and healthcare are in short supply. Famine is also imminent. Many families have been displaced at least once, moving from one unsafe place to another. Shelters are overcrowded, and sanitation conditions are dire, exposing women and girls to violence, infection and disease. 

Hospitals and ambulances have been attacked, leaving an estimated 50,000 pregnant women and new mothers struggling to access maternal and newborn healthcare. There has been an increase in preterm and complicated births, and medical staff have reported that they no longer see healthy-size babies among the 130 women who give birth every day.  

While all eyes are on Gaza, Palestinians in the West Bank and East Jerusalem are also experiencing alarming levels of ongoing violence. Curfews, and longstanding and stepped-up movement restrictions, are impacting people’s livelihoods and preventing them from reaching schools, work, family and health facilities – including the 73,000 women who are currently pregnant.

To support the women and girls of Gaza, UNFPA and partners have delivered six mobile maternity units, equipped to provide emergency obstetric care. Life-saving medicines and essential hygiene supplies – including soap and sanitary pads – have been delivered to hospitals, health facilities and displaced women and girls since the war began. In the West Bank, UNFPA is supporting services in six safe spaces and deploying mobile clinics to provide reproductive health services. Needs, however, are escalating, and routes must be opened and safe humanitarian access provided to allow life-saving aid to reach women and girls across the Gaza Strip.

Updated 19 November 2024