According to a conservative number, 9,000 women have been murdered relentlessly at the hands of Israel for more than a year and so. This, again, is not a definite number, considering the catastrophic situation of Gaza, which made it hard to collect actual data. Many of the dead may be unidentified, missing, entombed beneath rubble, or burned to ashes, leaving no trace behind.
These insufferable circumstances have taken the people of Gaza in a choke hold– gasping for air every second, always on edge, and victims of physical and psychological trauma. Living a perpetual nightmare as every home is bombarded every four hours, tents and temporary shelter every seventeen hours, schools and hospitals every four days and aid distribution and warehouses every fifteen hours (per average) according to UN records.
Israel has surpassed every human violation, committing a grave crime against humanity, which includes an extreme level of destruction, repeated use of disproportionate force, and targeting exclusively civilian populations instead of the military. With these atrocities going on, the people in Gaza are continuously bearing physical and psychological problems.
The Agony. Despair. Perpetual Suffering is the word best described for what’s happening in Gaza. The women of Gaza in particular are struggling with unsurmountable devastating impacts of the war, bearing multiple burdens of the war.
Becoming Head Of Family
Women are the nurturers of the family, the ones who manage the household, taking care of multiple small things that combine to make up the family. This role of hers is quite challenging enough, and it has been a dynamic for many families. However, once it’s broken, and that too in a War zone, it becomes an incredibly strenuous role. There have been numerous women in Gaza who have lost their husbands/bread earners due to sudden deaths in air strikes, a victim of random shootings by Israeli soldiers or being detained/ kidnapped for baseless reasons. This, in turn, unexpectedly changes the world for the women of the family.
She has now become the sole provider and protector, along with being the nurturer for her children. On top of that, according to reports, 9 in 10 women find it harder to access food than men. For that reason, they have resorted to extremes, digging through dirt and scavenging the rubble or dumpster diving – all to provide sustenance for her kids.
About 4 in 5 women in Gaza indicate that at least one of their family members has to skip their meals. And in 95% of those cases, it’s the mother who has to leave the portion of her food. Undoubtedly, Gaza is struggling with famine, which is the highest that’s ever recorded.
Requirement Of Resources for Menstruation
Having women’s menstruation needs to be met is basic for all women around the globe. But here in Gaza, that too has become hard to manage. Intensifying the ordeal of the women and girls struggling with the immense lack of menstrual pads has made the women resort to cutting pieces of cloth (most of the time unclean) as a substitute for sanitary pads. The access to private washrooms has become a so-called luxury. With the amount of destruction, it’s hardly possible to think of private access to anything at all. People are living in shared environments and using commodities mutually. And resources are further being narrowed with the rise in destruction.
Furthermore, there are about 10.3 million menstruating women and teenage girls in Gaza and among them stated that “she owns a single pair of underwear which at times she has to clean with dirty water (that too if available)”. This unhygienic situation creates a tremendous concern for developing infections. Let alone the utmost indignation one would feel in such a situation, taking a high toll on psychological well-being.
Diseases in Women
This one-sided war has caused Gaza a catastrophic health crisis leading to deaths that could be easily prevented. There has been a sharp increase in infectious diseases that have taken root from overcrowding, lack of clean water, sanitation system and lack of access to public health. A large number of cases have been reported of acute respiratory infections due to the rubble dust caused by the destruction; others include jaundice and diarrhea. What is more alarming is that Palestine had been polio-free for 25 years but has recently seen the reemergence of polio. This can be due to many of the aforementioned factors.
Adding on another factor is the accumulation of dead bodies. The kill rate of people is far higher, which makes it hard to provide proper burial. Plus, Israeli soldiers make it impossible for the loved ones to bury their loved ones, targeting them as well if they go any near. Therefore this creates a ton of piles of rotting flesh and blood creating a cesspool of bacteria breeding grounds.
According to a report, non-communicable diseases have been the cause leading to higher mortality rates among women in Gaza. About 162,000 women have developed or are at risk of developing skin diseases, and 5,201 women have been diagnosed with cancer. Other than that, the risk of getting diabetes, and cardiovascular diseases are much higher in women than in men.
Giving Birth Under Perpetual Chaos
The constant bombing led the women of Gaza through an immense struggle with acquiring antenatal and postnatal care at displacement sites. Women have fled, screaming and crying, while being 7 to 8 months pregnant. According to research, such levels of stress can negatively impact the baby’s development, increasing the risk of preterm birth, low baby weight and long-term developmental issues.
Due to the famine, about 41,600 women are facing crisis levels of hunger, giving birth to malnourished babies having severe deficiencies and increasing the risk of stillbirth. In these circumstances the rate of maternal mortality during childbirth skyrockets leading to a high number of deaths leaving the infants without a mother figure. Another statistic posits an estimated 37 mothers die every day, leaving behind families that were dependent on their nurturance and care.
This is also considered a part of a genocidal act aiming to destroy the reproductive rights of Palestinian women and prevent the birth of Palestinian babies.
Breastfeeding Mothers
From the collapse in Public health care services, the surviving breastfeeding mothers are suffering from the lack of nutrition to produce milk to feed their babies. They do not have the option to opt for formula milk due to the extreme shortage of items. Israel’s persistent bombardment of warehouses with aid supplies and the deliberate blockade have stopped sustenance items from reaching the civilians, continuously endangering more lives.
Sexual Violence
The systematic use of sexual violence to wage psychological warfare side by side completely tarnishes the spirits of the people of Gaza. With the world keep on turning the other cheek the progression and severity of sexual violence have been rapidly increasing – an inhumane strategy to dominate Palestinian people.
Israeli soldiers have opted for specific forms of sexual acts of violence such as public stripping, nudity, sexual harassment, threats of rape and rape itself, sexual abuse and torture. Most of the horrific levels of sexual violence against women are forcefully taken place in front of their families or in detention.
Conclusion
The blatant genocide occurring at the hands of Israel and the USA may be objected to a blind eye by the people in power who can do something; however, the spirit of Palestinians is unbreakable. How many Palestinians will they kill on false pretenses, made-up assumptions and fictitious story tales – when every single Palestinian is ready to put everything on the line to hold on to their land.
Moreover, the lack of the UN’s acknowledgment of this massive level of monstrosity is astonishing per se but not so surprising. The sheer disappointment in the feminist movement that has failed to make enough noise for the women in Gaza compared to when they spoke for equal rights. However, there have been 10 out of 12 women’s organizations surveyed in Gaza that are partly operational but have less than 1% funding. The restriction of Israel has no doubt made it difficult to channel funds as some organizations are putting in the effort to ensure the voices of the women of Gaza are heard.
