By Romana Rubeo 
Palestinian women bear the brunt of Israel’s war on Gaza, with more than 12,000 killed, thousands displaced, and widespread abuse reported in detention.
On International Women’s Day, the Palestinian Resistance Movement Hamas condemned the ongoing Israeli war in Gaza and its devastating impact on Palestinian women.
Hamas described the killing of more than 12,000 Palestinian women, with many more wounded, arrested, or displaced, as a “stain on the brow of humanity.”
The movement called on the international community to expose Zionist crimes against Palestinian women, including systematic violence such as bombing, daily massacres, displacement, deportation, arrest, and torture in prisons.
Hamas stressed that International Women’s Day should be an opportunity to shed light on these crimes and urged those who advocate for women’s rights to fulfill their political, humanitarian, and moral responsibilities to stop these brutal violations.
Massacred in Gaza
The situation for Palestinian women has worsened since the onset of the Israeli assault on Gaza in October 2023. According to the Gaza Health Ministry, more than 2,000 women have lost limbs due to amputation, and 13,901 women have become widows.
Additionally, 17,000 mothers have lost children, and 50,000 pregnant women have suffered the tragic loss of their fetuses. Over 162 women have contracted contagious diseases, and dozens of women have been tortured in Israeli detention centers.
Salama Maarouf, head of the Gaza government’s media office, emphasized on Saturday that the siege, which has prevented humanitarian aid, has exacerbated the suffering of women in Gaza, leading to hunger and dehydration.
Salama Maarouf spoke about the disproportionate impact of Israel’s actions on Palestinian women, particularly noting the high number of widows, mothers who have lost their children, and pregnant women who have suffered miscarriages due to the conditions. Maarouf emphasized that, according to United Nations figures, women and children make up around 70% of the total fatalities from the ongoing war, which amounts to approximately 8,200 deaths.
As of March 2025, at least 12,316 Palestinian women have been killed due to the ongoing assault.
Tortured in Israeli Prison
The Palestinian Detainees and Ex-Detainees Affairs Commission, alongside the Palestinian Prisoners Society, issued a report on the conditions of Palestinian women detainees in Israeli prisons.
According to the report, these women face numerous violations, including torture, starvation, sexual assault, medical neglect, and psychological abuse from the moment of their arrest.
The report highlights that the detention of women is a continued practice and that crimes against them have escalated since October 2023.
A total of 490 women have been detained since the beginning of the assault, including minors, pregnant women, mothers, and teachers. Among them, two women have been detained since before October 7, 2023, with Israel refusing to include them in any prisoner exchange agreements.
Gaza Genocide – On Mainstream Feminism’s Disregard for the Rights of Other Women
Journalists Targeted
Female journalists in Gaza have also been targeted by Israeli forces. According to the Gaza government media office, 24 female journalists have been killed by Israeli forces since the start of the conflict, a clear violation of international humanitarian law.
Salama Maarouf condemned the killings as violations of international humanitarian law. He pointed out that these acts occurred in front of the “free world, which claims to advocate for women’s rights and the defense of journalists.”
“Their status as women could not protect them from the Israeli army, nor could their journalistic immunity shield them from the murderous entity,” he added.
Several organizations, including Human Rights Watch, have condemned these actions, and no significant measures have been taken by the international community to address this violence.
Eight-Month-Pregnant Palestinian Woman Killed by Israel in Nur Shams Camp
Displaced in West Bank
In the West Bank, the situation is equally dire. Since the beginning of the war, Israeli military operations have intensified, with over 40,000 Palestinians displaced, many of whom are women.
The destruction of homes, widespread demolitions, and forced evictions have left families, especially women, in vulnerable and traumatic conditions.
Displaced women are living in overcrowded shelters, with many expressing their fears and uncertainty about the future.
The destruction of refugee camps has continued, with ongoing Israeli military operations targeting the Jenin, Tulkarem, and Nur Shams camps.
Local and international human rights organizations warn that Israel’s actions are part of a larger strategy to annex the West Bank and eliminate the two-state solution.
These military operations have led to the deaths of more than 930 Palestinians and left over 7,000 others injured in the West Bank alone.
(PC, Agencies)
– Romana Rubeo is an Italian writer and the managing editor of The Palestine Chronicle. Her articles appeared in many online newspapers and academic journals. She holds a Master’s Degree in Foreign Languages and Literature and specializes in audio-visual and journalism translation.
