New York - Gaza: Europe and the Arabs
The United Nations Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW) condemned the “relentless march of death, disease and destruction” in Gaza, and stressed that “the clock is rapidly ticking” towards famine and epidemics. She said that the “physical and mental lives and health of women and girls in the Gaza Strip are at grave risk,” according to a daily news bulletin issued by the United Nations.
This came after the Committee issued a statement in which it expressed its regret at the high number of victims, and called on all parties to the conflict to adhere to the rule of law, international humanitarian law and international human rights law, and to reaffirm their commitment to the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women, among other international instruments related to women. Peace and security. “The very principles of the Convention are challenged when mothers are placed in the position of burying at least 7,729 children,” she said.
The committee expressed its deep concern about the plight of more than one million Palestinian women and girls who have been forcibly displaced several times, while an estimated 5,500 women are expected to give birth during the next month alone. The statement indicated that women and children represent 70 percent of the Gazans killed so far in the war, whose number exceeded 28 thousand people. He called on Israel to comply with the International Court of Justice's interim measures order, including enabling the provision of much-needed basic services and humanitarian assistance.
  The CEDAW Committee also called on Israel to focus specifically on the special needs of women and girls, such as sexual and reproductive health services and hygiene products. It said in its statement: “The committee recognizes that the continuation of war and siege is causing grave harm to all women and girls, including pregnant women and women with disabilities. This constitutes a major humanitarian, human rights and public health crisis and a stain on our collective conscience.”
The committee called for the immediate and unconditional release of Israeli hostages held by Hamas, as well as the immediate and unconditional release of Palestinians, including women and girls, who have been arbitrarily arrested and detained by Israeli forces.
The committee also warned of any imminent military attacks or incursions into Rafah, “where hundreds of thousands of forcibly displaced persons, most of them women and children, are seeking refuge.” She called for an immediate and sustainable ceasefire to stop the violence, loss of life and destruction of infrastructure and property and a return to constructive peace talks to agree on measures to achieve lasting peace and security that includes leadership and decision-making for both Israeli and Palestinian women. She regretted that women were among the first victims of conflict-related violence, and stressed that they were "leading forces for peace."