Women in Gaza describe the hardships they suffer because of the war

As the world marks International Women’s Day, Palestinian women in the Gaza Strip on Friday described the hardships they are suffering, saying the war has deprived them their rights.

Many of them say they were separated from their husbands when they were displaced to the south of the enclave, and have no idea about the fate of their loved ones.

Sitting in a shelter in Deir al Balah, some 20 kilometres north of Rafah and the Egyptian border, Nadia Habib, speaks about life under Israeli attack.

"The life of a Palestinian woman revolves around three things. The wife of a martyr, the mother of a martyr, or the wife of a missing man. These are the conditions of women in the Gaza Strip at the moment."

She says they have to stand in line to get food or water and even if they want to go to the bathroom.

The UN agency for Palestinian refugees, UNRWA, says 9,000 women have been killed in the Gaza Strip since the Israel-Hamas war began five months ago, with many more believed to be missing under the rubble of buildings.

On average, it said, 63 women are killed in Gaza per day, of which 37 “are mothers who leave their families behind".

Israel launched its offensive in response to the militant group’s 7 October attack into Israel, during which they around 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and abducted around 250 others.

UNRWA’s statement came as the Gaza health ministry updated the total death toll to 30,878 and the wounded to 72,402. It said 72 per cent of the dead were children and women.

Calling for a ceasefire in Gaza, the UN agency said women are giving birth without basic medical assistance and lack menstrual hygiene products and privacy in exceptionally unsanitary living conditions.