Jeddah, 8^th March 2024: The Independent Permanent Human Rights Commission (IPHRC) of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC), on the occasion of the ‘International Women’s Day 2024’, strongly deplores the loss of innocent lives, in particular women and children, resulting from the ongoing Israeli massacres in Gaza. Besides, it highlights the plight of more than one million Palestinian women and girls who have been forcibly displaced multiple times inside Gaza Strip due to indiscriminate Israeli airstrikes. In this regard, the Commission strongly condemns the death, disease, and destruction in the Gaza Strip at the hands of Israeli occupation forces. The Commission calls upon the international stakeholders, including United Nations, to intervene immediately to address this grave human rights and humanitarian catastrophe in accordance with the international humanitarian law and international human rights law.
The plight of women and girls in the Gaza crisis is a harrowing tale of resilience amidst adversity. Struggling amidst the rubble of bombed-out homes and navigating through the constant threat of violence, they face a daily struggle for survival. Forced to bear the weight of caregiving responsibilities in shattered communities, they endure the trauma of loss and displacement while grappling with the pervasive fear of insecurity. Limited access to basic necessities such as food, water, and healthcare exacerbates their plight, pushing them to the brink of endurance. The continuing Israeli military aggression have caused harm to all women and girls, including pregnant women and women with disabilities. This constitutes a major humanitarian, human rights and public health crisis. As of February 2024, UN Women reported that over 28,500 Palestinians were killed in Gaza, and 70 per cent of those killed are said to be women and children. More than 70,000 Palestinians, most of whom are women, have been injured. The mothers are put in a situation of burying at least 7,700 children[1]. As stated by UNFPA, an estimated 5,500 women are due to give birth within the next month, more than 180 delivering every day, and an estimated 840 women may experience pregnancy- or birth-related complications.
Furthermore, according to new testimonies documented by the Euro-Med Human Rights Monitor[2], based on firsthand interviews with dozens of women, female Palestinian detainees from the Gaza Strip who were recently released following various periods of detention by the Israeli occupation forces, have endured severe treatment that amounts to torture, including beatings, sexual violence and rape threats, forced nudity, strip searches in front of male soldiers, and verbal harassment.
The Commission welcomes the recent landmark judgement of the International Court of Justice[3] which has found it plausible that Israel’s, the occupying power, acts could tantamount to genocide and issued six provisional measures, ordering Israel to take all measures within its power to prevent genocidal acts, including preventing and punishing incitement to genocide, ensuring aid and services reach Palestinians, including women and children, under siege in Gaza. The Israeli acts which seriously undermine the fundamental rights and dignity of women and children, including the right to life, non-discrimination, and freedom from violence and exploitation as provided in the relevant provisions of the Geneva Conventions and their Additional Protocols[4], Convention on the Rights of the Child (Articles. 38, 39)[5], Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW) and its General Recommendation No. 30[6] and Declaration on the Protection of Women and Children in Emergency and Armed Conflict[7] which establish clear obligations to ensure the safety and well-being of women and children in Gaza. In this regard, the Commission calls for holding the Israeli soldiers responsible for their severe war crimes against women and for the immediate and unconditional release of all Palestinians, including women and girls, who are arbitrarily arrested and detained by Israeli occupation forces.
The Commission appreciates the resilience of women and girls who have refused to be silenced by the chaos around them. Their unwavering spirit and determination serve as a beacon of light amidst the darkest of times, inspiring hope for a brighter future amidst the ruins of conflict-stricken Gaza. Furthermore, Commission urges OIC Member States and all concerned stakeholders in the international community to intensify their efforts to bring an end to the Israeli war crimes and unprecedented human tragedy unfolding in Gaza Strip. Most urgently, United Nations must prioritize upholding human rights norms and principles by enforcing an immediate and permanent ceasefire in Gaza, in order to ensure the provision of medical personnel, medicines, water, food, fuel, shelter, and clothes to all civilians and provide a special focus on women’s and girls’ special needs.