ON International Women’s Day, the women of Gaza are between the hammer of violence and the anvil of stolen rights.

On March 8 every year, the world unites in celebration of International Women’s Day which the United Nations officially declared a day in 1975. 

This special day exemplifies how women can draw inspiration and strength from unexpected sources. It is the symbol of the ongoing fight for women’s rights such as education, employment and healthcare. International Women’s Day is not just a recognition occasion; it is about honouring the many roles that women play in society daily.
 
However, amid the global festivities, there is perhaps a small corner of the world that becomes a blind spot, where the fate of women remains grim and their rights continue to be flagrantly violated in the harshest ways conceivable. This land is Palestine where Palestinian women endure the cruelty of living under the Israeli occupation and daily encounter the horrific hardships of unbearable oppression. 

In spite of the general demand for women’s rights by the global community, Palestinian women are even deprived of their minimal freedoms because of the endless occupation. Nowhere is this more evident than in Gaza, where every woman of Palestine has suffered ceaselessly since October 7. The situation in Gaza for women under siege has turned into a living hell where fear and agony accompany them in their daily life.
 
Since October 7, the agonising truth of merciless Israeli strikes has ruined the calm of numerous neighbourhoods across the Gaza Strip. Each bombing usually kills not only innocent civilians, among whom are women and children, but also it leaves a huge physical and mental trauma in the lives of many other people. 

Astoundingly, at least 29,000 people have lost their lives and 70 per cent of these casualties were women and children, according to the United Nations Office for Humanitarian Affairs. The anguish is deeply personal: every single hour two mothers are killed and every two hours seven women are ripped from their families’ fabric. 

In this besieged enclave, the women of Gaza endure not only the deprivation of rights recognised by the international community, but also the fundamental, inalienable right to live in peace and security.
 
The stories of the wandering women who have lived in Gaza are covered by a secret agony which few can understand. On this war-torn land, every woman and girl bears the heavy load of unfathomable loss. Many have felt the terrible pain of losing not only one, but even several members of their family, and for some, the whole world has been shattered by one and the same deadly missile strike. In the midst of unremitting bombardment, these women live in an everlasting state of fear, drowning their hearts once again with each passing moment as they helplessly watch their dearest ones passing away.
 
Israeli forces perpetrated a series of atrocities, which go beyond bombings and loss of life. With this relocation, the people of Gaza have been transferred to the south where they live in tents offering them very little protection against the harsh winter cold and rainy season. 

Such displacement for women in Gaza has taken away their fundamental right to privacy and dignity. They are now crowded in small shelters and narrow tents with none of the basic necessities. Here, when healthcare facilities are extremely scarce and there are very few hygiene facilities available, it leads to an outbreak of infectious diseases like smallpox and skin rashes. 

The government’s media centre in Gaza reported that among the 1.8 million displaced individuals, there were 355,000 cases of infectious diseases, which paint a bleak picture of the horror in the overcrowded and unsanitary conditions people had to go through.
 
The scarcity in food and drinkable water, coupled with the spread of diseases, has plunged Gaza into another period of crisis. Addressing this issue, the United Nations says that an individual gets only three litres of water per day that makes it impossible for them to even satisfy their primary needs. Nevertheless, pregnant and breastfeeding women take the most of the burden. 

According to reports, over 50,000 pregnant women are enduring a permanent risk of miscarriage because of inadequate nutrition and dehydration. Breastfeeding mothers encounter the same difficulties, as they have to face the emotionally devastating situation of being unable to provide enough food for their babies because of the lack of food and water. 
 
Furthermore, pregnant women in Gaza are experiencing very serious risks during the birth process. Many hospitals are either destroyed or cannot provide essential medical supplies due to bombing, making reliable deliveries difficult. Besides, even the people who manage to reach a working hospital witness that the overcrowded conditions and the lack of resources provide only a minimal level of medical treatment. 

Others are discharged early only to be deprived of the vital postnatal support they need desperately. For the ones who need caesarean sections, the procedure is accomplished without anaesthesia, so that they will endure unimaginable pain and many more hazards. In this dreadful situation, the most basic rights of women to give safe birth and get kind treatment disappear in the chaos of the Israeli aggression.
 
Yet amid the devastation, another critical issue remains overlooked: the provision of feminine hygiene products during menstruation. According to the United Nations Population Fund the conflict has caused over 690,000 women and girls to be without enough menstrual hygiene products. 

Palestinian women went through unimaginable things, such as undocumented detentions, humiliating body searches and even cases of physical and sexual violence. United Nations experts have reported on two cases of rape for women from Gaza and others were threatened with sexual violence in detention settings. These women become the living expression of the persistent nature of violence against women in such conditions.
 
As International Women’s Day is commemorated today, we should not forget the women of Gaza who are going through very hard times. They are confronted with violence, food and medical shortages and even assaults. Their tales shed the light on the relevance of defending women’s rights even in countries that experience war like Gaza. How about we show these women how much we care, and together, we will contribute to a world in which every woman is appreciated and secure.
 
Safaa Joma is a Palestinian translator and social media editor based in Ramallah, West Bank. She works at the Palestinian television, sharing stories from Palestine with the world. Safaa is passionate about justice and equality for her community.