The Palestinian NGOs Network Calls for Urgent UN Intervention to Protect Palestinian Women from the Injustice and Violence of the Occupation

The Palestinian NGOs Network (PNGO) calls on United Nations institutions and all international bodies to urgently intervene to protect Palestinian women from the ongoing injustice and violence of the Israeli occupation in all its forms.
Palestinian women continue to pay a heavy price as a result of Israeli occupation policies, sharing the immense losses and daily suffering experienced by the Palestinian people. This suffering has been most visibly manifested in the catastrophic situation in the Gaza Strip over the past twenty-eight months, including acts described as open genocide and ethnic cleansing in both Gaza and the West Bank.
Official statistics indicate that the number of martyrs has reached 72,123, with more than 171,805 wounded, and large numbers displaced,where women have represented more than one third of these casualties. In addition to death and injury, Palestinian women face the ongoing trauma of loss, displacement, and harsh living conditions in both summer and winter. The continuation of international silence regarding these crimes is no longer acceptable, particularly in light of increasingly aggressive occupation policies that threaten the basic elements of life in the West Bank and Jerusalem through expansionist practices and annexation plans, as well as ongoing attempts to ethnically cleanse Palestinian land in Gaza.
On the occasion of International Women's Day on March 8, the Palestinian NGOs Network issues this urgent appeal to the United Nations, its institutions, and all international bodies. While women across the world commemorate this occasion, PNGO calls for the following actions:
1. Recognition of the humanitarian catastrophe affecting Palestinian women
The suffering of Palestinian women should be recognized as one of the most severe examples of humanitarian devastation in modern warfare. The scale of violence, the density of the population in the Gaza Strip, and the high number of victims and displaced persons—particularly women and other vulnerable groups—reflect the deliberate nature of the crimes committed by the occupying power. Despite this, no serious international accountability measures have been taken so far.
2. Expansion of humanitarian intervention and support
International bodies must assume their responsibilities by increasing humanitarian interventions and developing comprehensive response and compensation plans. This includes shelter and recovery programs, the provision of essential humanitarian aid such as food, tents, and caravans, and facilitating the safe return of displaced people to their homes. Efforts must also focus on preventing the implementation of forced displacement plans targeting the population of Gaza and the West Bank.
3. Immediate protection for Palestinian women prisoners
Urgent intervention is required to end the injustice suffered by approximately 66 Palestinian female prisoners held in Israeli prisons. These prisoners are subjected to various forms of ill-treatment, harsh conditions, torture, denial of family visits, and the withholding of necessary medical care under a policy of medical negligence. Additional violations include the denial of Suhoor and Iftar meals during the month of Ramadan and the confiscation of blankets during the cold winter season.
PNGO calls for their protection and for an immediate end to violations of their rights as guaranteed under the **Geneva Conventions and other international agreements. Palestinian prisoners must be recognized as symbols of the struggle for freedom, political independence, and social justice.
4. Strengthening legal protections for women’s rights
Alongside addressing the political realities of the occupation, PNGO calls for the enactment and enforcement of laws that protect women’s rights, including the adoption of a Family Protection Law and legislation ensuring the rights of working women. Efforts must also address discrimination, wage inequality, and all forms of abuse against women in the workplace.
5. Combating societal violence and promoting women’s participation
Immediate measures must be taken to combat all forms of societal violence against women, including so-called “honor killings,” harassment, and discrimination. Women’s right to representation and participation in political and public life must be fully protected, including their meaningful participation in upcoming local elections and future national electoral processes.
6. Solidarity with women worldwide
PNGO extends its solidarity to women around the world. Despite differences in the forms of suffering they experience, global solidarity is essential in advocating for women’s rights and prioritizing collective efforts toward a world free of wars and disasters. PNGO calls for strengthening international cooperation to achieve peace based on justice, the rights of peoples, the end of exploitation in all its forms, and the protection of the right to self-determination in a world guided by human dignity, fraternity, and social justice.