The United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) has revealed the devastating toll of the ongoing conflict in Gaza, with women and children comprising at least 70% of those killed. Philippe Lazzarini, UNRWA’s chief, made the grim announcement on X, highlighting the dire humanitarian crisis in the region.
Over the past seven weeks, intense military operations in northern Gaza have displaced approximately 130,000 people. Lazzarini described harrowing scenes of women being separated from men and forced to walk with their children in search of safety. Many are sheltering in abandoned homes, destroyed clinics, or shops, while others sleep in the open, vulnerable to gender-based violence, abuse, and disease.
The situation is particularly perilous for pregnant and breastfeeding women, with 50,000 pregnancies across Gaza and 4,000 expected deliveries next month.
The lack of essential hygiene supplies has compounded the suffering. Nearly 700,000 menstruating women lack access to sanitary pads and other hygiene materials, either because they are unavailable or prohibitively expensive. The price of basic necessities, such as soap, has skyrocketed, with costs rising by 1,100%.
Lazzarini called attention to these distressing conditions, saying, “Menstrual hygiene has become an ordeal for most women and girls.”
In a poignant plea, he reiterated the urgent need for a ceasefire.
As the humanitarian crisis worsens, the UNRWA’s call shows the need for immediate international action to protect Gaza’s most vulnerable populations and alleviate their suffering.
