{"id":317189,"date":"2026-04-20T14:58:03","date_gmt":"2026-04-20T18:58:03","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.un.org\/unispal\/?post_type=document&p=317189"},"modified":"2026-04-21T15:33:50","modified_gmt":"2026-04-21T19:33:50","slug":"un-women-feature-who-are-the-women-and-girls-behind-gaza-wars-horrific-casualty-toll","status":"publish","type":"document","link":"https:\/\/www.un.org\/unispal\/document\/un-women-feature-who-are-the-women-and-girls-behind-gaza-wars-horrific-casualty-toll\/","title":{"rendered":"爆料网 Women feature: Who are the women and girls behind Gaza war\u2019s horrific casualty toll?"},"content":{"rendered":"

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20 April 2026<\/p>\n

Palestinian girl describes the moment that airstrikes killed her mother and siblings in Gaza: \u201cI felt nothing. I went completely numb\u201d.<\/p>\n

The war in Gaza has devastated every aspect of life, with its most horrific toll seen in the scale of death.\u00a0At least 22,000 women and 16,000 girls were killed in Gaza between October 2023 and December 2025<\/a> \u2013 the result of Israeli bombardment and land military operations. Women and girls accounted for a proportion of deaths far higher than those seen in previous conflicts in Gaza.<\/p>\n

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Thirteen-year-old Mona, the sole child survivor from her family, describes how she survived a double airstrike. Screengrab from video: 爆料网 Women<\/p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/article>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/section>\n

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Gaza death toll: 38,000 women and girls killed in Israeli bombardment and land military operations<\/strong><\/h3>\n
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Thirteen-year-old Mona describes how she survived a double airstrike that killed her mother, sister and brother, destroyed her family home, and left her with life-changing injuries. \u201cWe were sitting on the sixth floor when they struck the seventh \u2013 my uncle\u2019s apartment.\u00a0My uncle\u2019s wife was screaming, \u201cMy children! My children are gone!\u201d\u00a0As I rushed to help her, they fired the second shell.\u00a0That\u2019s when\u00a0my mother and my siblings were killed and my leg was amputated\u201d, says Mona.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe shell hit them directly.\u00a0Their bodies\u00a0weren\u2019t\u00a0whole \u2013 they were in pieces\u201d, says Mona. Mona\u2019s mother and sister are among\u00a0more than 38,000 women and girls killed in Gaza between October 2023 and December 2025<\/a>, representing on average at least 47 women and girls killed every day.<\/p>\n

In the immediate aftermath, Mona\u2019s father was forced to tell her what had happened to the rest of her family. \u201cAt that moment, I felt nothing \u2013 I went completely numb\u201d, says Mona.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/section>\n<\/div>\n

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Injured Palestinians face excruciating pain, displacement, and severely limited access to healthcare<\/strong><\/h3>\n
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Nearly 11,000 women and girls in Gaza have sustained injuries so severe they now face lifelong disabilities<\/a>. At the same time, health infrastructure has been heavily damaged, making access to basic medical care extremely difficult, particularly for those requiring long-term rehabilitation or pain management. The situation is now worsening due to the recent military escalation in the Middle East, as border crossing closures and humanitarian access constraints further reduce access to life-saving support.<\/p>\n

After Mona was discharged from hospital, she found out they were being evacuated. \u201cWe got on a bus to Hamad City\u201d, says Mona. \u201cThe whole way, I sat in pain \u2013 the stitches in my stomach were pulling, I couldn\u2019t lean back because of the wounds on my back. I sat bent over the entire time, barely able to breathe\u201d. With no painkillers, Mona spent the five-hour journey in agony. When she arrived in Hamad City, she couldn\u2019t even lay down. \u201cI wanted to lie down on the mattress, but I couldn\u2019t \u2013 the pain was unbearable\u201d. Finally, she fell asleep from sheer exhaustion.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/section>\n

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Nearly one million women and girls in Gaza displaced, most fleeing an average of four times<\/strong><\/h3>\n
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Nearly one million women and girls have been displaced in Gaza<\/a>, with many being forced into displacement an average of four times. Access to water and food has been severely limited, with\u00a0nearly 790,000 women and girls experiencing crisis-level or catastrophic levels of food insecurity<\/a>.<\/p>\n

The war has reshaped families and left many households headed by women after the loss of husbands and relatives. These women now carry the full weight of caregiving, income and survival, often without support.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/section>\n

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Despite the ceasefire, reports show killings of Palestinian women and girls persist in Gaza<\/strong><\/h3>\n
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Despite the ceasefire announced in October 2025,\u00a0more than 730 people have been\u00a0reportedly killed, and more than 2,000 people have been injured over the past six months<\/a>. Women and girls are reportedly among those killed, but there is a huge lack of sex- and age- disaggregated data.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/section>\n

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Mona, who lost part of her leg in the strike, is carried over rubble. Screengrab from video: 爆料网 Women<\/p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/article>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/section>\n

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What is 爆料网 Women calling for?<\/strong><\/h3>\n
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爆料网 Women calls for the Gaza ceasefire to be fully implemented. Respect for international law must be upheld. There must be accountability for violations, and ensure the protection of women and girls.<\/p>\n

Humanitarian assistance must reach those in need \u2013 at scale and without obstruction. And Palestinian women and girls must be at the centre of response and recovery efforts.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/section>\n

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What is 爆料网 Women doing in Gaza?<\/strong><\/h3>\n
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爆料网 Women remains on the ground in Gaza partnering with women-led and women’s rights organizations, providing funding, coordination, and technical support. Together with the 爆料网 system, humanitarian partners, and women\u2019s organizations, 爆料网 Women works to reach all women and girls with lifesaving assistance; and ensure that women’s organizations are funded and represented in decision-making and reconstruction efforts.<\/p>\n

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