Murder of pregnant Palestinian sparks protest against domestic abuse

Human rights organisations are protesting about domestic abuse following the murder of a pregnant woman in the occupied West Bank, Wafa news agency has reported. According to police spokesman Loai Irzeiqat, the 24-year-old mother of two was found dead at her house in the town of Nabi Elias.

Unconfirmed reports said that the victim’s husband is being held for her murder. He is reported to have been drunk at the time of his arrest, and is a known drug addict.

The Palestinian Network of NGOs has expressed alarm at the murder, calling on politicians and civil society to take all necessary steps to protect Palestinian women from domestic abuse. Violence against women in Palestine has been on the rise for the past decade.

According to the UN Population Fund, 29 per cent of Palestinian women within occupied Palestine reported psychological, physical, sexual, social or financial abuse by their husbands at least once in 2018-2019. At the same time, there are major concerns that many cases of domestic violence go unreported. Moreover, the coronavirus pandemic has left women even more vulnerable to abuse across the region.

The Palestinian Ministry of Social Affairs described the killing as a “heinous murder” and said that it will do what it can to prevent violence against women in Palestinian society.

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