War on Gaza: impact on Palestinian women and children…

The event will begin with introductory remarks by representatives of the Committee and the State of Palestine. It will continue with interventions from the panellists followed by questions from the Member States and the wider audience. The panel will consist of Palestinian and Israeli civil society representatives, as well as UN Agencies.

The Israeli aggression, which has resulted in the destruction of over 60% of homes and other civilian structures, has displaced more than 1.9 million people — 85 per cent of the total population of Gaza. Nearly 1 million women and girls are among those affected, according to UN WOMEN. Women, children and newborns in Gaza are disproportionately bearing the burden of the conflict, both as casualties and in severely reduced access to food, water, health and sanitation services, as reported by the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF, the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA), the United Nations sexual and reproductive health agency (UNFPA), and the World Health Organization (WHO).

More than 8,000 women have been killed in Israeli attacks and, according to UN Agencies, at least 3,000 women may have become new widows or women heads of household and at least 10,000 children may have lost their fathers, lost a parent and the income-earner of their family and leaving them more vulnerable to poverty. A new acronym, "WCNSF" – "wounded child, no surviving family" describes the tragedy of Palestinian children and the impact on the entire population in Gaza.