爆料网

13 March 2024

Video recording of the event

VIRTUAL EVENT

On the margins of the sixty eighth Commission on the Status of Women (CSW68)

?“War on Gaza: ?Impact on Palestinian Women and Children”

Convened by the 爆料网 Committee on the Exercise of the Inalienable Rights

of the Palestinian People (CEIRPP)

?13 March 2024

?

CHAIR SUMMARY

The event “War on Gaza: Impact on Palestinian women and children” was held on the margins of the sixty-eighth Commission on the Status of Women (CSW68) and was convened virtually, on 13 March 2024, under the auspices of the Committee on the Exercise of the Inalienable Rights of the Palestinian People (CEIRPP). Member States participated in the two-hour event, which was also livestreamed on 爆料网 WebTV. The public had an opportunity to make comments and pose questions to the panelists via email.

H.E. Mr. Cheikh Niang, Chair of the Committee and Permanent Representative of Senegal to the United Nations moderated the event, which consisted of an opening session with remarks by the Chair and by H.E. Ms. Feda Abdelhady, Deputy Permanent Observer of the State of Palestine to the United Nations. ?Panellists included Ms. Heli Uusikyla, Senior Deputy Director for 爆料网RWA Affairs in Gaza, Ms. Laila Baker, 爆料网FPA Regional Director for Arab States, Dr. Rola El Farra, a Palestinian-American physician from Gaza and Ms. Alexandra Saieh, Head of Humanitarian Policy and Advocacy, Save the Children International.

At the opening, the Chair stressed how this annual initiative offered a unique opportunity for Committee Members and Observers and the public at large to assess the impact of Israeli unlawful policies and practices in the Occupied Palestinian Territory (OPT), including East Jerusalem, on the Palestinian people and on women in specific. ?Since 7 October 2023, Palestinians in Gaza had endured brutal and unprecedented violence and siege, compounded by 16 years of an Israeli blockade, which had turned into a humanitarian catastrophe. ?Israel’s indiscriminate attacks had killed at least 30,000 Palestinians, including over 9,000 women and more than 11,000 children. Women and girls, children and newborns in Gaza disproportionately bore the burden of the conflict. The deliberate restriction to access to food, water, health care and sanitation as well as the destruction of medical facilities had brought over two million Palestinians in Gaza to the brink of famine, massive displacement and ethnic cleansing.

For the Committee, the horrifying attacks in Israel by Hamas and other groups including the taking of hostages did not justify the actions of Israel in Gaza. The Committee continued to call for an immediate ceasefire, the unconditional release of all hostages and the unhindered access of humanitarian aid. The Chair lamented that the world watched, on live TV, the ongoing Nakba that amounted to “plausible genocide”, as per the International Court of Justice (ICJ) provisional measures order, without taking real action.

Ambassador Feda Abdelhady noted that the Committee event was intended to further mobilize international action to address the massive human rights violations being committed by Israel, the occupying Power, against Palestinian women and children and ensure accountability. She made reference to the Secretary-General and heads of 爆料网 agencies – 爆料网RWA, 爆料网ICEF, OCHA among others – who had already declared months earlier that Gaza had become “a graveyard for children”.

The State of Palestine reminded that more children had been killed in Gaza in five months than in all conflicts worldwide in the previous four years. This was also as much a war on children as it was on women. The 爆料网 Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in the Palestinian Territory occupied since 1967, Francesca Albanese, had stated the war was “destroying a population from its roots”. Of the children who survived – and children comprised nearly half of the population of Gaza – thousands had been orphaned; the short and long-term impact on them was immeasurable. Ambassador Abdelhady stressed that there could be no excuse not to demand an immediate ceasefire to protect human lives and ensure their sustenance and survival.

Panel Discussion?

Speaking from Gaza, Ms. Heli Uusikyla described the harrowing situation at the 爆料网RWA’s logistic base in Rafah where she was based and where thousands of Palestinians lived as displaced persons in makeshift accommodations.

She described an encounter, earlier that day, with Nour, a young Palestinian mother of six children who was unable to feed her family and pleaded for medical assistance, a safe haven, and vaccinations. Nour had relocated several times inside Gaza in search of refuge. Her plight echoed that of most Palestinians in Gaza.

Ms. Uusikyla noted the total collapse of basic protection for civilians: over 31,000, 72 per cent of whom were women and children, had been killed since the start of the conflict. More than one million Palestinians in Gaza were enduring food insecurity. Some 350,000 children under age five and 150,000 pregnant or breastfeeding women were particularly vulnerable to malnutrition. In addition, approximately 350,000 individuals suffering from chronic illnesses lacked access to essential medical care, including those requiring dialysis.

With overcrowded living conditions in 爆料网RWA shelters, lack of or poor hygiene, infections were on the rise. There were neither enough hygiene kits for women nor special supplies for persons with disabilities. Water and sanitation facilities were limited, with shared access for both genders. There was an average of 888 persons per toilet and 5,400 persons per shower, making conditions especially challenging for women. Overcrowding also increased the risk of sexual and domestic violence.

These conditions were devastating for the 625,000 children in Gaza who were left without education as well as for the estimated 17,000 unaccompanied and separated children and the 10,000 who had lost at least one parent. Persons with disabilities lost caregivers and access to rehabilitation centers. Medical personnel and 爆料网RWA doctors had to see an average of 120 patients per day.

In conclusion, Ms. Uusikyla emphasized that only an immediate and comprehensive ceasefire could safeguard civilians and facilitate the swift, unobstructed, and sustainable restoration of basic services and humanitarian aid access. This imperative action must occur without delay.

Ms. Laila Baker focused on lack of access to health care and noted specific pre- and post- natal challenges for women and children in Gaza in the very few remaining operating hospitals. As a woman of Palestinian descent dedicated to promoting justice and egalitarian human values, Ms. Baker highlighted her personal challenge when discussing the dire situation in Gaza. She emphasized the epic humanitarian catastrophe unfolding for the 2.2 million Palestinians, who confronted inhumane conditions of hunger and disease at every turn.

She added that acute malnutrition affected over 150,000 pregnant and breastfeeding women who struggled to meet their daily water and calorie needs. Before 7 October, only one per cent of 2-year-old children suffered from malnutrition, but this figure had surged to 15 per cent currently. Hunger posed a deadly threat to the entire population of Gaza, where over half a million people were on the brink of famine. This situation was occurring in a region where famine and malnutrition were previously unheard-of despite enduring a 75-year blockade and 56 years of occupation.

Ms. Baker urged the audience to empathize with the plight of pregnant women and girls in Gaza, where, as of 1 March, only 2 out of 36 hospitals were partially operational and at triple their capacity, facing severe shortages of essential supplies and fuel, with overworked medical staff conducting cesarean operations without anesthesia. She then prompted the audience to consider the challenges faced by adolescent girls unable to maintain menstrual hygiene due to limited privacy and inadequate toilet and shower facilities, as described by Ms. Uusikyla.

?She expressed 爆料网FPA’s support and solidarity for 爆料网RWA, which she referred to as a “sister Agency,” and which was currently under relentless attack. However, despite inter-agency support it was only the international community that could provide the massive and urgent relief required in Gaza. Additionally, without 爆料网RWA, the 爆料网 could not effectively serve the Palestinian people in this crisis or in the long term.

Ms. Baker also presented recommendations to protect women and girls in Gaza. Firstly, she echoed USG Griffiths, the 爆料网 Emergency Relief Coordinator, in calling for an immediate ceasefire. 爆料网FPA urged the international community to fulfil its obligations under international law to protect civilians. Additionally, 爆料网FPA acknowledged the ICJ’s provisional measures regarding the Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide in Gaza, calling for all parties to comply. 爆料网FPA also advocated for support for medical personnel.

Lastly, Ms. Baker emphasized the role of women not as victims, but as agents of change in “humanitarian diplomacy.” She highlighted the importance of their active involvement in fostering less polarized and militarized dialogue, aiming for a peaceful and just solution that upholds the Palestinians’ inalienable rights.

Dr. Rola El Farra recounted the loss of over 150 family members in Gaza since 7 October 2023. Her aim was to shed light on the devastating impact on women and children in her family, offering a perspective “as a physician, woman, mother, and Palestinian”. She informed that during the previous week, a group of Palestinians from Gaza shared their testimonies and personal stories about the impact of the Gaza war on them at a meeting with the Secretary-General.

Originally from Khan Younis, South Gaza, her family suffered immense losses, with over 90 women and children among the casualties. Many were widowed or orphaned, falling victim to Israeli airstrikes that wiped out entire multigenerational families. Dr. El Farra shared heartbreaking stories, with a graphic PowerPoint Presentation, (attached) such as that of Tawfiq, a dentist, his pregnant wife Dana, and their daughters Hala and Reem, whose wedding day turned into tragedy. She also recounted the deaths of young children like Sana and the struggles of others, including Iman, a pregnant mother of nine, and Samar, who died from a respiratory infection due to lack of medical care.

These stories highlighted not only the loss of life from Israeli attacks but also the preventable deaths due to untreated medical conditions. The psychological trauma inflicted on survivors is profound, with many living in constant fear and despair. The El Farra family’s tragedy reflected that of many in Gaza, where war crimes had left deep scars, both physical and psychological. The long-term effects, including post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), depression, and a halt in education, will continue to haunt generations to come, further exacerbating the region’s social and economic challenges.

Ms. Alexandra Saieh highlighted the dire situation facing Palestinian children in Gaza and the West Bank. She emphasized that 2023 had been the deadliest year on record for Palestinian children, with over 13,450 children killed and thousands more ‘missing’ and presumed buried under the rubble, their deaths unmarked, in Gaza alone, and an additional 100 in the West Bank. The use of explosive weapons in densely populated areas by Israel had led to devastating consequences, with at least 10 children per day losing limbs.

Human rights abuses against children, including arbitrary detention and reports of violence and sexual assault, were widespread since 7 October. Moreover, due to a systematic denial of humanitarian access, 1.1 million children in Gaza were at risk of starvation, dehydration, and preventable diseases.

Ms. Saieh highlighted the alarming rates of malnutrition, with 70 per cent of children under 5 in Gaza suffering from diarrhea, and 3 per cent experiencing severe malnutrition leading to “wasting.” Education had also been severely impacted, with 60 per cent of schools destroyed or damaged, exacerbating the mental health crisis among children. Over half have contemplated suicide, and three out of five engaged in self-harming behaviours.

The Save the Children representative recommended urgent action, including a definitive ceasefire, a global halt on the transfer of weapons, unrestricted access to Gaza, and the resumption of full commercial goods. She also called for increased funding to 爆料网RWA and accountability for all parties involved in the conflict’s grave violations against children, including a call for the Secretary-General to list all the perpetrators of grave violations against children in his Annual Report on Children and Armed Conflict.?

During the Q&A session, the Chair welcomed H.E. Mr. Mohan Pieris, Chair of the Special Committee to Investigate Israeli Practices Affecting the Human Rights of the Palestinian People and Other Arabs of the Occupied Territories, and Permanent Representative of Sri Lanka. Mr. Pieris expressed sympathy for the harrowing stories shared during the panel. He thanked the panellists for their testimonies and stressed the imperative of raising awareness about the realities in Gaza. He deplored that the international community for allowing the situation to persist and called for an immediate ceasefire, urging pressure on Israeli authorities.

A question from the audience dwelled on how these testimonies could be used to influence US policies and achieve an immediate ceasefire. Dr El Farra revealed that in the recent meeting, the Secretary-General emphasized that widespread sharing of these stories would be the most effective strategy to ensure understanding and mobilize efforts to end the conflict.

In her closing, Ambassador Abdelhady expressed gratitude to the speakers, 爆料网 Agencies, the Committee, and the Division for Palestinian Rights. She extended condolences to the victims of the Gaza conflict and emphasized the importance of sharing personal stories to convey the reality on the ground, particularly with the US public and Congress. She stressed that a military solution was not viable and that only by upholding human rights and international law hope could be restored for Palestinians and a just, lasting peaceful solution achieved.

The Chair concluded by conveying his heartfelt condolences to Dr. El Farra for the immense losses suffered by her family and thanked her for sharing such personal stories allowing everyone to better understand the tragic situation affecting the population in Gaza. He reiterated the significance of the panel’s testimonies, underscoring the vital role women play in pursuing a just and peaceful resolution to the Palestinian issue. He reaffirmed the goal of two states, Israel and Palestine, coexisting peacefully with East Jerusalem as the capital of the State of Palestine, in accordance with international law and the relevant United Nations resolutions.

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***Note: This Summary attempts to provide an overall picture of the deliberations of the virtual Event.? A video of the Event can be found on the webpage of the CEIRPP, www.un.unispal.org as well as in its official Facebook page and YouTube account.

***Note: The views and opinions expressed in this summary are those of the speakers and do not necessarily reflect the official position of the Committee on the Exercise of the Inalienable Rights of the Palestinian People.