A senior UN official, after visiting Gaza, said: Women are facing an unprecedented humanitarian and health catastrophe

Andrew Sapperton, Deputy Executive Director for Management at the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), held a press conference in New York on Wednesday, during which he provided a detailed briefing on the findings of his recent visit to Gaza and the West Bank, focusing on the situation of women and girls and their urgent humanitarian needs.

Sapperton noted that women in Gaza had lost most of their property and homes, and suffered the loss of a large number of relatives, yet continued to attend humanitarian activities, a stark example of resilience and perseverance under extreme pressure. He added that women were denied the most basic necessities of daily life, including menstrual hygiene items, forcing some to use worn-out cloths as alternatives.

He explained that the health sector in Gaza is suffering a near-total collapse, with 94% of hospitals damaged or destroyed, and maternal mortality rising due to the lack of medicines and medical equipment. He emphasized that newborns are exposed to significant risks, as more than one baby is often placed in a single incubator, and the rate of low birth weights has reached approximately 70%, with one-third of pregnancies classified as high-risk.

Saperton noted that restrictions and barriers in the West Bank limit the freedom of women’s movement, which affects the access of pregnant women to schools, markets and health care centers, especially since the number of pregnant women there is estimated at 73,000, stressing that the fund runs clinics. Mobile and emergency centers to ensure that they receive the necessary care. In response to a question about the deliberate suffering of the population, Saberton said that the legal term for genocide is very specific, and does not give legal evaluation, but stressed that the situation is tragic and constitutes a severe humanitarian crisis for women and girls, with intentional and non-injuries. Spontaneous.

He added that women and girls showed exceptional resilience and participation in recovery efforts, and that partnership with local women’s organizations is essential to ensure aid delivery and society’s reconstruction from the bottom up.