New dimensions of genocide in Gaza: Deliberate killing of Palestinian women

Since the onset of the genocide in October 2023, the Israeli regime’s military has, on average, martyred 21.3 women daily through direct bombardment of the Gaza Strip. This equates to roughly one Palestinian woman per hour and does not include those who have died due to the siege, starvation, or lack of medical care.

The shocking and unprecedented scale of the killing of women in the Gaza Strip indicates a systematic pattern by the Israeli regime in committing mass murder, deliberately targeting Palestinian women, particularly mothers.

Human rights groups and organizations have documented the killing of thousands of women, many of whom were of reproductive age, as well as thousands of mothers who were martyred alongside their children in their homes, refugee camps, temporary shelters, or while seeking safe areas or attempting to protect their children from bombardment.

The increasing daily pattern of targeting demonstrates that the Israeli regime uses the killing of Palestinian women in the Gaza Strip as a tool to destroy the entire population; these killings fall under the crime of genocide according to international law.

Field data shows that the Israeli regime systematically martyrs pregnant women and young mothers alongside their children or while they are trying to care for and protect their families. This is a clear violation of international humanitarian law and an act that directly threatens the future of the Palestinian population.

Official records confirm the martyrdom of 12,400 Palestinian women, including 7,920 mothers, during the 582 days of genocide in the Gaza Strip. The data also indicates that the mortality rate among mothers, pregnant women, and breastfeeding women due to direct Israeli bombardment has reached an unprecedented level.

The Israeli regime’s actions in targeting Palestinians go beyond killing; according to the Palestinian Ministry of Health, 60,000 pregnant women are currently enduring harsh conditions due to malnutrition, starvation, and inadequate healthcare. This situation is a direct result of the severe siege and the prohibition of goods and humanitarian aid since early March 2024.

The killing of Palestinian women and mothers, especially pregnant women, follows a clear pattern of preventing births, which, under Article 2(d) of the 1948 Genocide Convention, constitutes a fundamental element of genocide. This article defines imposing measures intended to prevent births within a group as an act of genocide.

The Israeli regime’s prevention of births in the Gaza Strip takes various forms, including the direct killing of women of reproductive age, targeting pregnant mothers, destroying healthcare infrastructure for childbirth and prenatal care, denying essential medications and medical equipment, starving mothers and infants, and the lack of adequate nutrition for mothers and infants, leading to gradual death and severe health complications.

Palestinian mothers experience complex psychological distress due to the loss of their children, spouses, or homes, as well as their inability to protect themselves, their families, or provide for their livelihoods. The lack of security and constant displacement further exacerbate anxiety, depression, and severe psychological trauma.

A mother of four from Gaza, who requested anonymity due to fears of retaliatory actions by the Israeli regime, said: “We have been displaced more than 10 times and survived numerous bombardments. I cannot reassure my children. They fall asleep every night to the sound of bombings, and I cry out of fear that I might wake up to find none of them alive.”

She added: “I have witnessed the tragedy of losing mothers and children. I have become a helpless mother who cannot provide food for her children.”

Human rights organizations state that all countries, individually and collectively, must fulfill their legal responsibilities by taking urgent actions to stop the genocide in the Gaza Strip. This includes implementing effective measures to protect Palestinian civilians, ensuring the Israeli regime’s compliance with international law and decisions of the International Court of Justice, and holding the regime accountable for its crimes against Palestinians.

These organizations emphasized that the International Criminal Court must, at the earliest opportunity and in accordance with the principle of no impunity for international crimes, reissue arrest warrants for Israel’s prime minister and former war minister.