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ACAPS Thematic report - Palestine: Impact of the war in Gaza on the sexual and reproductive health and health rights of women and girls (03 May 2024)

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KEY MESSAGES

The current situation in Gaza has increased maternal and neonatal mortality. Miscarriages increased by 300% between October–December 2023 because of health complications from lack of available care and resources, combined with mental health and psychosocial support (MHPSS) needs arising from fear and anxiety (PCBS 08/03/2024; Jezebel 17/01/2024).

• Between 7 October 2023 and mid-January 2024, the UN estimated that two mothers were killed every hour in Gaza, with thousands of children orphaned or wounded (UN Women 19/01/2024; NPR 26/04/2024).

• The shortage of menstrual hygiene products; lack of water, toilets, and private spaces; and increased cases of sexually transmitted and urinary tract infections further aggravate the situation for women and girls living in extremely overcrowded shelters (IPPF 30/10/2023).

• The health response capacity is overwhelmed, with the majority of the focus on responding to physical trauma and not enough to address the particular health impacts on women, such as on SRH (KII 15/04/2024). As a result, there is a gap in understanding the current SRH needs of women and girls.

• Women and girls are vulnerable to gender-based violence (e.g. sexual exploitation and abuse, family and/or intimate partner violence). Young women and girls are at risk of early and forced marriage (KII 15/04/2024). Because of lack of education and counselling, there is a risk of a generation growing without sufficient information on their health and rights, which creates misconceptions and normalises things like GBV (KII 29/04/2024). All these protection risks can lead to SRH deterioration.

• There is no information on access to and availability of safe abortions, but health services have received requests for post-abortion and post-partum care services. Women are not receiving adequate care to recover post-delivery and post-abortion and are at high risk of hemorrhaging because of quick dismissal from secondary care services because of the high caseloads (KII 29/04/2024).

• The current impacts on women’s SRH, including maternal and neonatal health, are likely to have medium- to long-term consequences that extend beyond trauma and other MHPSS needs. The lack of access to healthcare resources, hygiene products, safe spaces, and education makes women and girls vulnerable to a range of negative outcomes, including maternal and newborn deaths, sexually transmitted infections (STIs), and other diseases resulting from the lack of water and limited hygiene, and limited control over their reproductive choices.

• People in the Gaza Strip already had poor nutritional status prior to 7 October 2023 because of food insecurity and poverty resulting from the 16-year Israeli blockade on the territory. Poor nutritional conditions were already contributing to SRH challenges, such as low birth weight and micronutrient deficiency for mothers (The Guardian 15/04/2024; Assaf et al. 18/07/2023).