Over 230,000 women, girls in Gaza face limited health access amid continued Israeli violence: UN

More than 230,000 women and girls in Gaza, including nearly 15,000 pregnant women, are facing limited access to reproductive health services because of Israeli military operations, despite a ceasefire deal, the UN said Thursday, Anadolu reports.

Spokesperson Stephane Dujarric cited the UN Population Fund (UNFPA), which warned that “there is an increased risk of gender-based violence, child marriage, and exploitation of women and girls.”

He added that damage to health facilities, safe spaces and clinics, combined with displacement and flooding, has “sharply limited access to psychosocial support and medical care.”

UN humanitarian partners have reached more than 13,000 households since Sunday, he said, adding that they distributed “hundreds of tents” along with mattresses, blankets, warm clothes, cooking utensils and solar lights.

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Capacity and funding constraints mean support currently reaches only about 40% of Gaza’s 970 displacement sites, he said.

Israel’s genocidal war on Gaza that began after an attack by Hamas on Oct. 7, 2023, and lasted two years, has killed more than 71,000 Palestinians and wounded over 171,000, most of them women and children, and destroyed about 90% of Gaza’s civilian infrastructure.

Since a ceasefire took effect Oct. 10, Israeli attacks have killed 483 Palestinians and wounded 1,287, while Israel has sharply restricted the entry of food, shelter materials and medical supplies into Gaza, where 2.4 million Palestinians live in dire conditions.

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