UN Special Reporter Condemns Violence Against Women And Girls In Gaza

Israeli military operations in Gaza. (Source: Israel Defense Forces)

JAKARTA - UN Special Reporter for Violence Against Women and Girls Reem Alalem said the situation in the Gaza Strip had reached an unprecedented proportion in modern history.

In a press statement on Sunday Alalem stressed that Israel's attack on Palestinian women was part of a systematic genocide strategy, asserting the killing of Palestinian women simply because their gender constitutes war crimes and crimes against humanity.

The UN expert underlined that targeting women who were intentional and destroying reproductive health services was used as weapons as a tool for Israeli genocide in Gaza, quoted from WAFA on February 3.

He stressed that a comprehensive review of Israel's actions revealed targeting the reproductive capacity of Palestinians on purpose is the main aspect of this strategy.

Alalem refers to the United Nations Convention on the Prevention and Sentence of Genocide Crime, which also prohibits genocide that aims to prevent reproduction within certain groups.

He explained, if we consider together, destruction of the health care system, neglect of newborns against their fate, and creation of intolerable conditions for pregnant and lactating women, all of which became instruments of Israeli genocide violence, aimed at total destruction or some Palestinians.

Alalem also discussed the impact of the ongoing attacks on women and children, citing data from the United Nations (UNFPA) Population Fund.

She noted that about 800,000 women had been forcibly moved from their homes, and nearly one million women and girls suffered from severe food insecurity.

The UN official further highlighted that the abortion rate had soared by 300 percent due to the lack of adequate medical treatment, psychological trauma, and ongoing bombings.

This transcends genocide, he said, adding it involved previously planned killings and the total legal norms of armed conflict.