By: Jemma Fisherman
In times of armed conflict, women’s roles are multifaceted and varied. While women face high levels of gender-based violence, they also have a significant influence on mitigating war. However, the impact that armed conflict has on women is often overlooked. Indeed, scholars and journalists note that women are the “most affected but least responsible” due to the increased military initiatives and expenditures that often sideline humanitarian initiatives (Gautam et al., 2023). Understandably, the ongoing conflict between the Israeli government and Hamas-led Palestinian military groups is no different.
Although the Israel-Hamas War has become a major source of unprecedented global conflict since October, the conflict in the State of Israel and its effects on women and children is, by no means, new. After the end of the Second World War, the United Nations Special Committee on Palestine (UNSCOP) passed the Partition Plan which split Palestine into an Israeli state with Palestinian territories consisting of the West Bank and Gaza Strip (Mock et al., 2014, p. 9). Ever since the inception of the Israeli state, there has been mass conflict arising from the displacement of Palestinian refugees and multiple cases of war between the Israeli military and Palestinian militant groups attempting to recover territory taken by Israel. In a 2005 report, Amnesty International notes that the intifada in Israel has often infringed upon the human rights of women. Specifically, the report found that the blockades in Palestinian territories restricted 3.5 million Palestinians from accessing health, education, and other social services which largely affected women (Amnesty International, 2005, p. 4).
Since October, the humanitarian crisis has only worsened. Reem Asaleem, the United Nations Special Rapporteur on Violence, stated that the atrocities committed by both Israel and Hamas have had a “gendered impact” on innocent civilians, especially on “mothers who have lost multiple children” in the conflict (OHCHR, 2023). The violence of the Israel-Hamas war has further intensified since the initial attacks in early October through numerous military campaigns that target critically important public infrastructure. The World Health Organization (WHO) reported that despite there being 50,000 pregnant women in Gaza alone, with 180 women giving birth every day, hospitals are constantly bombarded (World Health Organization, 2023). Last month, high levels of rainfall in Gaza have also impacted the Rafah temporary tent camp housing 280,000 of Gaza’s displaced population, disproportionately affecting young women and mothers lacking food and water who are susceptible to disease (Beaumont & Borger, 2023).
When the Israel-Palestine conflict first arose of international importance, many states, including Canada, were hesitant to call for a ceasefire to allow for humanitarian aid. However, many scholars, activists, and politicians have noted that the recent conflict in the State of Israel, as well as its decades of colonial violence, deeply violates international humanitarian law, including the Fourth Geneva Convention which stipulates that “[w]omen shall be especially protected against any attack on their honour” (Geneva Convention Relative to the Protection of Civilian Persons in Time of War, 1949). On December 13th, 153 nations in the United Nations General Assembly attempted to order an “immediate humanitarian ceasefire” that calls for the release of Israeli hostages as well as increased aid to civilians in Palestinian territories (United Nations, 2023). South Africa has also succeeded in petitioning the International Court of Justice to ask Israel to prevent “genocide” against the Palestinian people by reducing conflict. Despite these actions, no formal ceasefire has been accepted, causing many innocent civilians in Israel and Palestine, especially women and children, to continue to experience the brutal impact of this violence.
References
Al Jazeera. (2023, January). ICJ fails to order ceasefire, but says Israel must prevent genocide in Gaza. Al Jazeera. https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2024/1/26/icj-fails-to-order-ceasefire-but-says-israel-must-prevent-genocide-in-gaza
Amnesty International. (2005). Israel: Conflict, occupation and patriarchy: Women carry the burden (MDE 15/016/2005). Amnesty International. https://www.amnesty.org/en/documents/mde15/016/2005/en/
Beaumont, P., & Borger, J. (2023, December 13). Gaza a ‘living hell’ after heavy winter rains drench makeshift tents. The Guardian. https://www.theguardian.com/world/2023/dec/13/gaza-a-living-hell-after-heavy-winter-rains-drench-makeshift-tents
Gautam, D., Ryan, G. A., McAuliffe, F. M., & Purandare, N. (2023). Armed conflict—Women: Most affected but least responsible. International Journal of Gynecology & Obstetrics, 160(2), 450–451. https://doi.org/10.1002/ijgo.14360
Mock, S., Obeidi, A., & Zeleznikow, J. (2014). A Brief Outline of the Israel–Palestinian Conflict. Group Decision and Negotiation, 23(6), 1245–1262. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10726-012-9293-7
OHCHR. (2023, November 20). Women bearing the brunt of Israel-Gaza conflict: UN expert. Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights. https://www.ohchr.org/en/press-releases/2023/11/women-bearing-brunt-israel-gaza-conflict-un-expert
Geneva Convention Relative to the Protection of Civilian Persons in Time of War, (1949). https://www.un.org/en/genocideprevention/documents/atrocity-crimes/Doc.33_GC-IV-EN.pdf
United Nations. (2023, December 12). UN General Assembly votes by large majority for immediate humanitarian ceasefire during emergency session | UN News. https://news.un.org/en/story/2023/12/1144717
World Health Organization. (2023, November 3). Women and newborns bearing the brunt of the conflict in Gaza, UN agencies warn. World Health Organization. https://www.who.int/news/item/03-11-2023-women-and-newborns-bearing-the-brunt-of-the-conflict-in-gaza-un-agencies-warn
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