gaza palestinian woman destroyed house crying
© Mohammed Abed/AFP/Getty ImagesA Palestinian woman despairs at the state of her damaged house after Israeli airstrikes in Rafah in the south of Gaza, 19 October 2023.
The UN Special Rapporteur on violence against women and girls, Reem Salama, confirmed that the Israeli occupation army has used the killing of women and the targeting of reproductive health as tools for genocide in the Gaza Strip.

Salama said in a press statement on Sunday that "Israel's attacks on Palestinian women are part of a systematic genocide strategy." She added, "When looking at Israel's actions overall, it is clear that targeting the reproductive capacity of Palestinians in particular serves this purpose."

She emphasized that "the killing of Palestinians simply for being women is considered a war crime and a crime against humanity," noting that the UN Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide also prohibits acts of genocide aimed at preventing reproduction within a group.

Reem Alsalem, United Nations special rapporteur on violence against women
© Manuel Elías / UN PhotoReem Alsalem, United Nations special rapporteur on violence against women, its causes, and its consequences.
Salama continued, "When we put all the pieces together, we find that the destruction of the health sector, leaving newborns to their fate, and creating horrific conditions for pregnant and nursing women are all tools used in the Israeli genocidal violence targeting the total or partial destruction of the continuity of the Palestinian population."

She highlighted the devastating impact of the attacks on women and children, using data from the United Nations Population Fund, stating, "800,000 women have been forcibly displaced from their homes, and about one million women and girls are suffering from severe food insecurity."

The UN rapporteur noted that "the situation in Gaza has reached dimensions unprecedented in modern history," indicating that abortion rates have increased by 300% due to inadequate medical care, psychological trauma, and bombings. She added, "This is not just about genocide; it also means deliberate killing and the complete destruction of the legal boundaries of war."