It is difficult to see hope for Palestinian women with Israel’s continued violations of international law and the Geneva Conventions, US financial and military support for Israel, and the US’s regular veto of Security Council resolutions on the Palestinian-Israeli conflict.
The UN Security Council failed on Monday to adopt a resolution calling for a humanitarian ceasefire in Gaza following the latest escalation. Israel must abide by its legal obligations and be held accountable for current and past violations as an occupying power rather than being offered a blank check for impunity.
Article 11 of UN Security Council Resolution 1325 calls for no impunity for war crimes, with 60% of those killed being women and children. In addition, no action has been taken in the case of the killing of Palestinian-American journalist Shireen Abu Akleh, despite evidence of her extrajudicial killing.
While most European countries and the United States remain silent, Israel continues to violate UN Security Council Resolution 1325 in Palestine by arresting women and youth, killing, raiding cities and refugee camps, demolishing homes for Israeli takeover, confiscating land, the apartheid wall, revoking permanent residency from Jerusalem residents, and imposing an illegal 17-year blockade on the Gaza Strip. These measures have a direct impact on Palestinian women, contributing to the disintegration of the social fabric and the deterioration of economic and social conditions, often causing stress and trauma.
Women in Palestine are unable to respond to crises with restrictions on movement and lack of tools and resources, including their ability to respond to the climate change crisis. Women are losing their livelihoods due to being displaced from their lands, in addition to women’s right to participate in civil society being restricted, as some Palestinian human rights and women’s organizations, such as the Union of Palestinian Women’s Committees, are classified as “terrorist” organizations.
Despite this resolution calling on the state to ensure the protection of its women from gender-based violence, Palestinian women exposed to gender-based violence pay a heavy price due to the ineffectiveness of the legal system in the West Bank and Gaza Strip. Factors contributing to the failure of the legal system include the disruption of the Palestinian parliamentary elections, the absence of the Palestinian Legislative Council, and the internal political division between the two main parties. Tribal law and old legislation are then applied in the absence of an effective legal system.
However, Palestinian activists should recognize the importance of this resolution, as it allows Palestinian women to build coalitions, design national action plans, document violations, and raise awareness among the local and international community about violence against women. Palestinian women’s leadership and participation in the national struggle for justice, liberation, and freedom has been celebrated throughout Palestinian history. However, this rich history of women’s activism is not reflected in political activism due to the underrepresentation of women.
Palestinian women must be supported to actively participate in political processes, including technical and technical committees, and to participate in reconciliation committees at the national level. This participation is essential to strengthening Palestinian unity and enhancing hope in the Palestinian people’s quest for independence. In this way, we will ensure the protection and respect of the rights of the Palestinian people, and promote peace and security for Palestinian women.
Palestinian women urgently call on the United Nations and Security Council member states to issue a special resolution that addresses their situation under military occupation, the root causes of their suffering, and the main obstacles to their participation and advancement of the women, peace and security agenda, so that women leaders can continue to play a major role in establishing a just, resilient and democratic state.
When did the talk about women’s rights begin in international human rights agreements?
First: United Nations Charter 1945
The United Nations Charter considered the principle of gender equality a fundamental principle, affirming in its preamble… “Faith in fundamental human rights, in the dignity and worth of the human person and in the equal rights of women and men.
Second: The Universal Declaration of Human Rights 1948
In the same context, the Universal Declaration of Human Rights came to reaffirm the importance of this principle, declaring that every human being has the right to enjoy all the rights and freedoms mentioned in this declaration without discrimination of any kind, and stressing that the right to enjoy these basic rights and freedoms “is based on equality in dignity and rights.”
Third: Convention on the Political Rights of Women (1952)
It recognizes for women “the right to vote in all elections and to be eligible for election to all bodies elected by universal suffrage, to hold public office and to exercise all public functions, all on conditions of equality between them and men without any discrimination.”
Fourth: The Convention on the Nationality of Married Women (1957)
“The State may not, when one of its citizens voluntarily acquires the nationality of another State, nor when one of its citizens renounces his nationality, prevent the wife of that citizen from retaining her nationality.”
This agreement recognizes the right of a married foreign woman to acquire her husband’s nationality if she so requests.
Fifth: Convention on Consent to Marriage and Minimum Age for Marriage (1962)
The conditions of the marriage contract are the full consent of both parties without coercion, the specification of the age of 18, the presence of the competent authority when concluding the marriage contract, the presence of witnesses, and the registration of marriage contracts in an appropriate official registry.
Sixth: The International Covenants on Economic, Cultural, Social, and Civil and Political Rights (1966)
Each covenant is based on the principle of gender equality, as stated in Article 3 common to both, which states that “States Parties undertake to ensure the equal right of men and women to the enjoyment of all the rights set forth in these Covenants.”
These charters agreed on equality between women and men in basic human rights, which are:
Are there any specific human rights agreements to eliminate discrimination against women?
Yes, there is a special international agreement, which is:
Seventh: Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women
When was it issued and when did it enter into force?
It was adopted by the United Nations General Assembly in 1979 and came into force in 1981.
The agreement recognized all rights, not just part of them.
It also expanded women’s human rights based on the discriminatory reality against them.
What’s new in this agreement?
What did this agreement omit?
What rights are included in this agreement?
The agreement recognized and enshrined women’s human rights, i.e. the recognition of all rights and not just part of them.
Also, women’s human rights were expanded based on and in connection with the discriminatory reality against them.
These rights are:
Article 1: Definition of discrimination against women
Article 2: Obligations to eliminate discrimination
Article 3: Appropriate measures for the development and advancement of women
Article 4: Accelerating the procedures for equality between men and women – positive discrimination
Article 5: Gender-based stereotypes
Article 6: Combating the exploitation of women
Article 7: Political and Public Life
Article 8: Representation and participation at the national level
Article 9: Nationality
Article 10: Education
Article 11: Work
Article 12: Equality in health care
Article 13: Social and economic benefits and services
Article 14: Rural Women
Article 15: Equality before the law and in civil matters
Article 16: Equality in marriage and family law
What are the obligations of countries when signing the agreement?
Introducing the principle of equality between men and women into its legal system, abolishing all laws that discriminate between the sexes, and adopting appropriate laws that prevent discrimination against women.
Establish courts and other public institutions to ensure effective protection of women against discrimination.
Ensure the elimination of all acts of discrimination against women by persons, organizations and institutions.
Are there any conventions or declarations specifically to combat violence against women?
Yes
Eighth: Declaration on the Elimination of Violence against Women 1993
This declaration states that States should make “due efforts to prevent, investigate and punish, in accordance with national legislation, acts of violence against women, whether such acts are committed by the State or by private persons.”
Women’s rights have gone through stages in terms of goals.
The first stage: aimed to achieve equality between women
The second stage: focused on eliminating discrimination.
Phase III (began in 1993): Anti-Violence
At the Palestinian level, are there any documents related to women’s rights?
Yes
Palestinian Women’s Rights 1993
The Palestinian Women’s Rights Document was issued in 1993 in Jerusalem by the General Union of Palestinian Women, which decided on the need to make legislative amendments to ensure that Palestinian women enjoy all social and political rights. Then in 2000, the General Union of Palestinian Women reviewed the document with a group of women’s centers and institutions, and a set of principles were included that urge the need to achieve equality. In 2008, the need to work on implementing this document was emphasized again, which contains many progressive provisions regarding the prohibition of polygamy, equality between spouses in everything acquired after marriage, the abolition of the idea of a guardian, the right to request a separation, the right to travel and move, and the issuance of the necessary identification documents without the need for approval from anyone.
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The document was based on: 1. The Palestinian Declaration of Independence. 2. The Palestinian Basic Law. 3. International conventions such as the Convention on the Political Rights of Women and Security Council Resolution 1325, the Convention on the Nationality of Married Women, the Declaration on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women, the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women, the Convention on the Night Employment of Women and its amendments, the Convention on the Employment of Women Before and After Childbirth, the Arab Convention on Working Women of 1976, the Convention on Consent to Marriage, the Minimum Age for Marriage, and the Registration of Marriage Contracts, the Convention on the Nationality of Married Women, and the Convention on the Political Rights of Women.
First: Political rights:
Palestinian women have the right to vote in all general elections in Palestine, whether they are presidential, legislative, municipal, or union elections, or any elections that would determine the features of the legal organization in Palestine.
Palestinian women have the right to run for all general elections in Palestine, regardless of the legal position resulting from them, and under legal conditions equal to those applicable to men, without discrimination.
Palestinian women have the absolute right to participate in all public referendums in the state, as long as the effects of these referendums extend to both men and women.
Palestinian women have the right to hold all positions in the state and to exercise all legal powers related to the work of these positions, in accordance with legal and professional needs and conditions, without discrimination between them and men.
Election legislation in Palestine includes a legal quota for women among candidates in all elections in the country, to ensure their effective and fundamental representation in both legislative and executive institutions.
Palestinian women have the right to form and join political parties, as long as their establishment is in accordance with the conditions for formation stipulated by law on the basis of the rule of non-discrimination between men and women.
Ensure the protection of women from physical and psychological torture and arrest, and not use them as a means of pressure in cases of men’s arrest.
Strengthening women’s right to participate in decision-making in situations of war and peace.
Palestinian women have the right to participate in all political activities, regardless of their orientations and goals, as long as they do not conflict with the requirements of the public interest and national security, without discrimination against men.
A Palestinian woman has the right to retain her original nationality when she marries a foreigner, or separates from him by dissolving the marital bond, and she also has the same right if the husband changes his nationality or acquires the nationality of another country.
Palestinian women enjoy all the rights and conditions stipulated for men with regard to acquiring, changing or retaining nationality, and their marriage to a foreigner shall not affect their nationality or impose the nationality of the foreign husband on them without their consent.
The husband and children of a Palestinian woman married to a foreigner have the right to obtain the mother’s nationality, in accordance with the conditions and requirements for naturalization stipulated for the children of a Palestinian man in the Palestinian legal system.
These rights may not be interpreted in a way that withdraws a privilege granted to the Palestinian wife, whether judicial or legislative, with regard to her right to request the nationality of her foreign husband, on the basis of the principle of non-infringement of acquired rights.
Achieving the unity of the Palestinian family in its homeland in accordance with the Declaration of Human Rights.
Emphasizing the right of refugee women to return in accordance with UN Resolution 194, and to enjoy all rights on an equal footing with refugee men.
Second: Economic and social rights
Palestinian women have the right to enjoy just and satisfactory working conditions, including financial rewards, without discrimination between them and men, provided that they enjoy the right to equal pay with men when their work is equal.
Palestinian women have the right to equal opportunities in vocational training, which helps them freely choose the profession they desire and that suits them, provided that the relevant authorities in Palestine are committed to providing social and cultural patterns that enable all members of society to accept the idea of women’s presence in many types of professions and crafts that have been monopolized by men, as long as they have the ability to perform them.
The Palestinian Authority is committed to taking all legislative and executive measures that guarantee the protection of working women from all forms of violence and sexual harassment to which they are exposed in the workplace.
Palestinian women have the right to enjoy equal treatment with men in the work environment, and the right to enjoy paid leave, retirement benefits, and social security against unemployment, sickness, old age, or other causes of inability to work.
Palestinian women have the right to enjoy financial independence to ensure that they can carry out their family and business duties independently, and to ensure their right to receive all financial assistance and insurance granted to men, as well as absolute equality between them and men in all banking transactions.
The Palestinian Authority is committed to recognizing the importance of rural women’s work, recognizing their contribution to the well-being of their families and the national economy, ensuring their participation in the preparation and development of development planning, and taking all necessary measures to develop their social, cultural and economic capabilities.
It is not permissible to impose the employment of women of any age at night in any public or private industrial facility, or in any of its branches, with the exception of facilities in which only members of the same family work. The Palestinian legislator is committed to determining the hours of night work, taking into account international conventions and norms.
Every employer in establishments where women work is obligated to provide a nursery, either alone or in partnership with other establishments, provided that the Palestinian legislator is obligated to specify the conditions for establishing, specifications and the system for nurseries.
A working woman has the right to obtain a fully paid leave before and after childbirth, for a period determined by Palestinian national legislation, taking into account the provisions of international conventions and norms, without prejudice to her right to promotion, seniority and periodic allowances. A married woman also has the right to be granted paid sick leave, especially in the case of illness resulting from pregnancy or childbirth, provided that the Palestinian legislator determines the maximum period for this period, so that this leave is excluded from the calculation of sick leaves stipulated by law.
A working woman has the right to stop working if she submits a medical certificate stating that the delivery is likely to take place within a period of time determined by the Palestinian legislator. The employer may not require her to work during this period, or dismiss her, or impose financial penalties on her.
A woman who is breastfeeding her child is entitled to two rest periods per day during her working hours, each of which shall not be less than half an hour, to enable her to breastfeed her child, provided that the period of this break is counted as paid working hours.
Women have the right to obtain maternal, child and family planning services that enable them to manage their families well, in accordance with their educational role in the family.
Both spouses are entitled to unpaid leave to accompany the other in the event of the latter moving to a workplace other than the original workplace, inside or outside the country, provided that the Palestinian legislator determines the maximum permitted period for this type of leave, without discrimination between men and women.
A working woman has the right to obtain unpaid leave to devote herself to raising her children, according to conditions determined by the Palestinian legislator, provided that the woman retains her job during this period.
Both men and women have the right to combine their employment pension with their spouse’s pension without any reduction in the event of death, on the basis of the separation of their financial assets. This right also extends to the children of a working woman to receive their parents’ pensions without any reduction at the same time upon their death.
All family members benefit from the benefits of women’s health insurance, and working women benefit from family financial grants if they support their children.
A working woman has the right to receive all her financial dues, including end-of-service gratuity, pension, and any other financial entitlements, without discrimination from men.
Women have the right to education at all levels, including enrollment in all types of educational institutions, equality in curricula and qualifications required for work in the field of teaching for both sexes, and equality in opportunities to obtain scholarships, study grants and educational information, based on the principle of equal opportunities between the sexes.
Women have the right to join all educational and cultural programmes to eradicate illiteracy and ignorance in society, and to have equal opportunities with men to participate in sports activities and physical education.
A woman has the right to obtain all medical information that helps her make her own decision, to be treated with respect throughout her health care, and to have the confidentiality and privacy of her treatment respected.
Women have the right to receive comprehensive health care free of charge, and female children may not be exploited in any work that harms their safety, health or right to free education.
The Palestinian legislator works to protect the female child from harm and cruel treatment, whether by her family or strangers, and to impose a strict legal penalty on anyone who harms, beats, or attacks her rights related to her nature and age.
Application of the provisions of the Labor Law to domestic workers and first and second degree relatives of the employer.
Providing social security for working and non-working women against poverty and unemployment.
Bridging the gap between the rights of women working in the public sector and women working in the private sector.
Enhancing women’s participation in union work, and allocating no less than 30% of seats in union leadership bodies to them.
Third: Criminal rights
Palestinian women have the right to enjoy equal rights with men to life, liberty and personal safety.
The Palestinian legislator is committed to working to abolish all provisions of the penal code that involve discrimination against women, and in particular the provisions related to honor and adultery cases, in a manner that achieves equality between women and men in the organization of these laws.
The testimony of a woman in adultery crimes is accepted in the same manner as the testimony of a man, given that they are equal in terms of legal capacity.
The Palestinian legislator is working to impose a harsher penalty on anyone who commits the crime of a pregnant woman against her will, and to provide a great deal of legal flexibility regarding the reasons that prompt a pregnant woman to abort her fetus against her will, as she is the most concerned about its safety and life.
Penalties imposed on rape and indecent assault crimes are increased in a way that achieves general deterrence for anyone who commits them. The Palestinian legislator works to criminalize a husband having intercourse with his wife against her will, considering it a form of domestic violence against her.
The Palestinian legislator works to criminalize all forms of physical, sexual and psychological violence that may affect women within the family, including beating and sexual aggression against female children in the family, violence related to the husband’s rape of his wife, and other traditional practices that may affect women within the family.
Women have the right to be free from torture or cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment in society.
The Palestinian Authority is committed to resisting all customs, traditions and religious beliefs that permit violence against women, and to include deterrent legal penalties for anyone who practices such acts, while compensating them for the harm and injury they have suffered, ensuring their rehabilitation and assistance to eliminate all the material and psychological effects of this violence, and providing aid and facilities to civil society institutions working to eliminate the phenomenon of violence against women in Palestinian society.
Women have the right to file a complaint in cases related to rape and indecent assault.
Fourth: Rights related to civil capacity and personal status
Children’s rights
The international community has raised the issue of children’s rights after the spread of many phenomena that violate their rights in all countries without exception. Member states entered into long negotiations until they agreed on a single legal document that was put to a vote in the General Assembly on November 20, 1989. It was unanimously approved by member states and was thus added to the group of treaties and agreements that constitute “international law”. It entered into force on September 2, 1990. All countries in the world have joined the Convention, with the exception of one country, the United States of America. Every country in the world must submit an annual report to the committee responsible for monitoring the implementation of the Convention, which is affiliated with the General Assembly and is called the “Committee on the Rights of the Child”, known by its initials “CRC”. Its primary mission is to monitor the extent to which countries adhere to this Convention, warn them, expose them, and visit the violating country to ensure that local laws do justice to children and are consistent with the provisions of the Convention.
The United Nations considered in this agreement that the child is the most vulnerable group, meaning that he is weaker than people with special needs, women, indigenous peoples and the elderly, because the child does not have the power to make his own decisions, is not to blame for what is happening around him and cannot protect himself from evil. The child, as stated in the agreement due to his physical and mental immaturity, needs special preventive and care measures, including appropriate legal protection, before and after birth.
The Convention consists of 54 articles. It was subsequently followed by three optional protocols, one on children and armed conflict (2000), the second on the prohibition of trafficking and sexual exploitation of children (2000) and the third on the right of children to submit a complaint directly to the Committee on the Rights of the Child (2011).
This Convention details the rights of the child and the duties of the state and society and defines a child as anyone under the age of eighteen. The first rights of the child are his right to life, his right to a nationality, his right to grow up in the care of his parents, and his right to develop and enjoy his childhood. The child has the right to have a name from birth and to know his parents and live with them if possible. The Convention also requires all states not to discriminate against children on the basis of race, color, religion, language, political opinion, nationality, or social or economic status. He has the right to enjoy the means of comfort and to exercise the right to expression, assembly and to form or join associations. The most important rights of the child are education and enrollment in schools and educational institutions.
Article 11 is important as it states: “States Parties shall take measures to combat the illicit transfer and non-return of children abroad.”
Because the agreement is available and easy to refer to, we leave the details to the side, but we confirm that all the practices of the Zionist entity regarding Palestinian children are in violation of the provisions of this agreement. A Palestinian child is under the age of 16, while an Israeli remains a child until he reaches the age of 18. The maximum period of detention for an Israeli child is 40 days and for a Palestinian 188 days. A Palestinian child is tried in a military juvenile court, even if he is 12 years old, while an Israeli child is tried in a civil juvenile court. After leaving prison, an Israeli child joins rehabilitation programs that the Palestinian is deprived of. A Palestinian child between the ages of 16 and 18 may be sentenced to twenty years in prison, and 60 percent of Palestinian children are detained in detention centers inside Israel. This procedure is a violation of the Fourth Geneva Convention. We mention the child Shadi Farah, who was arrested at the age of 12 on charges of throwing stones and was sentenced to three years, which he actually served. Also the family of the child Ahmed Manasra, who was arrested in 2015 at the age of 16 and sentenced to 12 years, and was placed in solitary confinement until he almost went insane.
About half of the Palestinian society are children.
The number of children under 18 years of age in the State of Palestine is expected to reach 2,432,534 children by mid-2024 (1,364,548 children in the West Bank and 1,067,986 children in the Gaza Strip). Children in Palestine constitute about 43% of the total population (41% in the West Bank and 47% in the Gaza Strip), while the number of children under 18 years of age in the Gaza Strip is estimated at 544,776 male children and 523,210 female children, of whom about 15% are under the age of five (341,790 children).
The Israeli occupation kills about 4 children every hour in the Gaza Strip.
Since the beginning of the Israeli aggression on the Gaza Strip on October 7, 2023, and until the date of issuing this statement, there are more than 14,350 child martyrs, constituting 44% of the total number of martyrs in the Gaza Strip. Women and children also constitute 70% of the 7,000 missing persons in the Gaza Strip as a result of the Israeli aggression.
It is worth noting that 455 martyrs have fallen in the West Bank since October 7, 2023 until the date of issuing this statement, including 117 children, and there are 724 wounded children out of 4,700 wounded since the beginning of the aggression. In addition, 1,620 Palestinians, including 710 children, have been displaced throughout the West Bank, including East Jerusalem, due to the demolition of their homes. More than half of them were displaced during military operations, especially in the refugee camps in Tulkarm and Jenin.
In a related context, 1,085 children from the West Bank were arrested in 2023, including 500 children after the Israeli aggression on the Gaza Strip, including 318 children in the Jerusalem Governorate. According to data from the Prisoners’ Affairs Authority, the Israeli occupation still detains 204 children in its prisons, including 202 from the West Bank, one from the Gaza Strip, and one from inside the Green Line. Among them are 11 convicted prisoners, 158 detainees, and 35 under administrative detention.
43,349 children live without one or both parents in the Gaza Strip
In 2020, there were 26,349 children aged 0-17 years who were orphans (lost one or both parents) in the Gaza Strip, while UNICEF estimates that around 17,000 children in Gaza have become orphans after losing one or both parents since October 7, 2023. Each of them represents a sad story of loss and bereavement. This number represents around 1% of the total number of displaced persons, which amounts to 1.7 million displaced persons in the Gaza Strip. As a result, they live in very difficult conditions and exceptional circumstances and have no real shelter for them, which can lead to profound negative effects on children, including psychological and social effects such as loneliness, deterioration of mental health, and poor learning and social development.
Famine and malnutrition threaten the lives of children in the Gaza Strip
The Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC) report for the period 15 February – 15 March 2024 showed a high risk of famine in the Gaza Strip, indicating that 95% of the population in the Gaza Strip (about 2.13 million people) are facing high levels of acute food insecurity, including up to 1.1 million people in Gaza facing catastrophic levels of food insecurity. This includes an increase of nearly 80 percent in the number of people facing the highest classification of food insecurity since December. These households are characterized by severe food shortages, famine and exhausted coping capacities, leading to alarmingly high rates of acute malnutrition among children under the age of five and a significant increase in the mortality rate. The Ministry of Health reported that 28 children have died due to malnutrition and dehydration in hospitals in the Gaza Strip.. .
According to UNICEF nutrition assessments, rates of acute malnutrition among children in northern Gaza and Rafah have nearly doubled compared to January 2024, rising from 16% to 31% among children under two in northern Gaza, and from 13% to 25% among children under two in Rafah. Severe wasting, the most life-threatening form of malnutrition requiring therapeutic feeding and treatment that is not available in Gaza, has increased from 3% to 4.5% among children in shelters and health centres in northern Gaza, quadrupling from 1% to 4% in Rafah, and from 1% to 4% in Khan Younis, where 28% of children under two are acutely malnourished, including 10% severely wasted.
It is noteworthy that the percentage of children who were moderately underweight in the Gaza Strip in 2020 was 2.1%, and severely underweight was 0.3%, and the percentage of children who were moderately short in stature was 9.0% at the time, and 1.8% were severely short in stature. The percentage of children who were moderately wasted was 1%, and severely wasted was 0.5%.
Gaza Strip’s newborns struggle to survive amid health and food crisis
Newborns in the Gaza Strip find themselves in a difficult battle for survival, as health data issued by UNICEF shows that about 20,000 children have been born under the Israeli aggression since its outbreak on the Gaza Strip, and there are about 60,000 pregnant women. In the Strip, with an average of 180 births per day, they face many challenges. As a result, pregnant women suffer from malnutrition, dehydration and face severe food poverty, many of their children are born underweight and suffer from health problems, in addition to the possibility of not receiving vaccinations due to their lack, which means the emergence of diseases that have been eradicated and were not present among children, such as measles, whooping cough, polio and others. As a result, the continuation of these catastrophic conditions leads to the death of many newborns, as the neonatal mortality rate in the Gaza Strip in 2020 reached 8.8 births per 1,000 live births. It is noteworthy that the number of children of vaccination age (0-23 months) reached 208,300 children, both boys and girls.
More than 816,000 children need psychological assistance due to the effects of the ongoing Israeli aggression on the Gaza Strip
Given the scenes of killing and destruction resulting from the ongoing Israeli aggression for 181 days, it has left profound psychological effects on the children of the Gaza Strip. This impact can include negative emotions such as fear, anxiety and depression, psychological trauma due to continuous psychological pressure and material and human losses, such as the loss of relatives or homes. The aggression can also affect their behavior and daily lifestyle, such as changes in sleep patterns, nutrition and social relationships. Children may also be exposed to painful physical injuries or the loss of loved ones, which increases their need for psychological and emotional support to recover from these painful experiences. Data indicates that there are more than 816,000 children in the Gaza Strip in need of psychological assistance from the effects of the ongoing Israeli aggression on the Gaza Strip.
620 thousand male and female students in the Gaza Strip were deprived of their right to school education.
As a result of the ongoing bombing and violent raids on the Gaza Strip, the death toll among students and teachers, and the destruction of the infrastructure of a significant number of schools, the educational process in the Gaza Strip has been disrupted since the beginning of the aggression, and about 620,000 students have been deprived of their right to school education for the 2023/2024 academic year. The number of martyrs among students enrolled in schools in Palestine reached 6,050 martyrs, with 5,994 martyrs in the Gaza Strip and 56 martyrs in the West Bank. The number of wounded among students enrolled in schools in Palestine reached 10,219 wounded, with 9,890 wounded in the Gaza Strip and 329 wounded in the West Bank. As for the detained students enrolled in schools, 105 students were arrested, all from the West Bank.
