An Appeal for Assistance to Women Affected by the Israeli Offensive in the Gaza Strip

Ladies and Gentlemen,

During the thirty-three days of the Israeli offensive on the Gaza Strip, Israeli forces continued their attacks from the air, land, and sea across the Gaza Strip, causing more civilian casualties and destroyed civilian infrastructure, including homes, infrastructure, and public buildings. To date, 1,888 Palestinians have been killed, including 1,586 civilians (84%), comprising 447 children (23.6%) and 235 women (12.4%), with another 7,815 injured, mostly civilians, including 2,997 children (26.6%) and 1,398 women (17.8%). Eight hundred homes were targeted and destroyed by airstrikes, and thousands more sustained extensive damage. More than 400,000 Palestinian civilians have been forcibly displaced to UNRWA schools, government schools, hospitals, NGO/civil society organization shelters, separate homes, and the homes of relatives and friends. The population of Gaza is currently facing shortages of food and water supplies, constant power outages, inadequate health services, and a lack of environmental services such as solid waste collection and disposal. Poor and divorced women are the most affected segment of society by the current Israeli offensive on the Gaza Strip through direct targeting, the targeting of their family members, and the displacement of their families to UNRWA schools and relatives’ homes. This has led to psychological pressures on them, particularly affecting divorced women, given their increased responsibilities in bearing the burdens of the family. The Center for Women’s Legal Researches, Counselling and Protection (CWLRCP) has sufficient experience and lessons learned to meet the humanitarian needs of divorced women. However, the Center lacks the necessary financial resources to meet the urgent needs of women and divorced women under the current difficult conditions in the Gaza Strip.

The Center for Women’s Legal Researches, Counselling and Protection (CWLRCP) appeals to you to allocate financial resources to provide sessions to offer psychological and social support and to provide modest financial assistance to affected divorced women.

With many thanks and appreciation,

Director of the Center,

Professor Zeinab Al-Ghunaimi