On his X account, Philippe Lazzarini, Commissioner-General of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA), called for unrestricted humanitarian aid to the area.

On International Women’s Day, I am deeply saddened that women in Gaza are bearing the consequences of this brutal war,” he wrote.

“This includes giving birth without basic medical assistance, lack of menstrual hygiene products, and privacy in exceptionally unsanitary living conditions,” he said.

Lazzarini said UNRWA teams work to support women’s committees in overcrowded shelters and provide psychosocial support to survivors of gender-based violence.

However, the UN official warned that we should do much more to protect the rights of women and girls and prioritize unrestricted and gender-sensitive humanitarian assistance.

UNRWA denounced on the same platform that 9,000 women have lost their lives in the coastal enclave since the beginning of the Israeli aggression on October 7, 2023.

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