Concerned About The Fate Of Women, The Head Of UNRWA Calls For A Ceasefire Immediately In Gaza

Gaza refugees. (Twitter/@UNLazzarini)

JAKARTA - Commissioner General of the United Nations Aid and Work Agency for Palestinian Refugees (UNRWA) Philippe Lazzarini stressed the need for a ceasefire in the Gaza Strip, "so that every woman and girl there can regain some of their dignity."

In his post on X he wrote, "Women and girls can often spend months without bathing, experience several menstrual cycles without cleaning themselves."

"They have to cut their hair very short because of the ticks, lack of shampoo, not enough water or combs," he tweeted, quoted from WAFA August 16.

Lazzarini continued, "Many say they don't feel safe, have no privacy or dignity in overcrowded shelters and refugee camps. They don't go to the toilet and therefore avoid eating or drinking water."

He also pointed out that some women had worn the same headscarf for 10 months, and that they were "fightring to see themselves as women."

"The women in Gaza told our team they were struggling to see themselves as women. A woman said: "I don't feel like I'm a woman anymore". This is another aspect of the deepening dehumanization of this war," said Lazzarini.

"The ceasefire for every girl and woman in Gaza is also to restore some of their dignity," he said.

Earlier, Volker Turk's United Nations Human Rights Chief said the non-compliance of Israeli forces against war rules caused the majority of casualties in the Gaza Strip, Palestine being women and children.

Turk called for the killing to end "for good" and all detainees released, when the death toll in Gaza has reached more than 40 thousand.

"Most of the victims who died were women and children. This unimaginable situation was largely caused by repeated failures by the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) to comply with war rules," the High Commissioner for Human Rights said in a statement.

Gaza's health authorities confirmed on Hari Kami that the death toll from the Israeli attack on the Palestinian enclave since October 7, 2023 has reached 40,005, while injuries have reached 92,401. The majority of the victims were women and children.

"On average, about 130 people have been killed daily in Gaza over the past 10 months," Turk continued, citing estimates based on data from the bag's regional health authorities.