Women for Women International is gravely alarmed by the UN Commission of Inquiry’s finding that Israel is committing genocide in Gaza - a determination that recognizes what women and our partners in Palestine have been sharing with us for months.
The Commission concluded that four of the five genocidal acts defined under the 1948 Genocide Convention have been carried out in Gaza - namely killing, causing serious bodily or mental harm, deliberately inflicting conditions of life calculated to bring about destruction, and imposing measures intended to prevent births. This report represents the strongest and most authoritative UN determination to date and is a devastating indictment of the international community’s failure to prevent atrocities in real time.
The Commission’s conclusion is a reflection of the daily reality for the people of Gaza – particularly women and girls. Over the last two years, more than 65,000 Palestinians have been killed in Gaza, and countless others remain missing. The women who have survived – and who we work with in partnership with local women’s rights organizations – tell us how conflict and displacement have reshaped every aspect of their lives. Mothers walk for hours with hungry, barefoot children only to arrive in overcrowded camps without clean water, shelter, or health care. With hospitals destroyed and food blocked, pregnant women give birth in tents without medical support, risking their own lives and those of their newborns. Adolescent girls face hunger, exploitation, and gender-based violence in unsafe camps, while nearly half a million displaced children – many of them girls – have been denied education, safety, and stability, planting the seeds for lifelong trauma.
These individual stories echo the broader findings of our 2024 global consultation 'From Asking to Action', which engaged 422 Palestinian women and women’s rights organizations across Gaza and the West Bank. The results revealed stark gendered impacts:
- 62% of women identified conflict and violence as the primary driver of displacement in their communities;
- 62% cited forced evictions and land confiscation
- 85% of communities reported child marriage as a coping mechanism amidst intensified conflict and military presence.
In August 2024, when asked about their hopes for the future during “From Asking to Action”, Palestinian women shared a devastating outlook:
- 19% said they expect their quality of life to remain the same
- 20% said it would worsen
- Only 62% dared to hope for improvement in the next five years
In the year since August 2024, conditions in Gaza have deteriorated even further, and that fragile hope is rapidly dwindling. Despite these realities, women continue to show resilience and leadership – yet remain largely excluded from decision-making.
Women for Women International’s message to international actors is clear. We call on governments and international actors to take decisive action to:
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Stop and prevent genocide, in line with legal obligations under the 1948 Genocide Convention, including by halting all military support and arms transfers to Israel.
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Ensure the protection of women and girls in all humanitarian interventions, with tailored services for maternal health, psychosocial support, and prevention of gender-based violence.
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Guarantee immediate humanitarian access to food, water, medical care, and shelter, prioritizing the urgent nutritional and health needs of Palestinian women and children – many of whom are already facing famine.
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Secure the immediate release of all civilians held captive or arbitrarily detained by all parties, and ensure humane treatment, medical care, family contact, and International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) access pending release.
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Pursue accountability through international courts and mechanisms so that survivors, including women, can access justice and reparations.
If the UN Commission of Inquiry’s finding does not prompt the international community to act, what will?
