Gaza’s Palestinian women are bearing the brunt of Israel’s genocide and its fallout
Women sit together in mourning at al-Ahli Arab hospital by the shrouded bodies of victims killed by Israeli bombardment, Gaza City, 18 March 2025
Sally Ibrahim reports in The New Arab on 21 April 2026:
On Monday [20 April], in Khan Younis’s al-Mawasi, Rasha Yousef Abu Jazar, 36, was preparing food in a tent with her four daughters when clashes erupted nearby between Israeli-backed militias linked to Ghassan al-Dahini and Palestinian security forces.
Local sources and eyewitnesses told The New Arab the confrontation quickly erupted, and during the chaos, Israeli drones reportedly struck the area, killing Rasha instantly along with her unborn child.
One of her daughters, according to relatives, remained beside her mother’s body in a state of shock, unable to process what had happened. Another was described as crying uncontrollably, her grief coming in waves that did not settle. A third stood frozen, unable to comprehend the scene unfolding in front of her.
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According to UN Women, more than 38,000 women and girls have been killed in Gaza since the beginning of the war. However, the organisation notes that the true figure may be higher due to bodies remaining under rubble and the breakdown of documentation systems.
UN Women also estimates that around 11,000 women and girls have sustained permanent disabilities as a result of injuries, delayed medical access, or the inability of the health system to respond in time.
Beyond the figures lies a deeper transformation. Pregnancy and childbirth—already high-risk in Gaza before the war—have become life-threatening in the absence of functioning hospitals.