Women and girls in Gaza are confronting an unbearable dilemma: stay inside shelters and starve, or risk being killed while seeking basic necessities such as food and water, warns Sima Sami Bahous, Executive Director of UN Women.
An Impossible Dilemma
“Women and girls in Gaza are facing the impossible choice of starving to death in their shelters or venturing out in search of food and water only to face extreme risk of being killed.”
This stark warning comes from Sima Sami Bahous, the Executive Director of UN Women.
For countless families, the crisis has stripped life to its barest essentials. Mothers boil weeds to feed hungry children, while young girls risk sniper fire fetching water. With every day of siege, survival becomes more dangerous, and the most vulnerable—women, children, and the elderly—are forced to make choices no human being should ever face.
Millions of Women and Girls at Risk
UN Women estimates that one million women and girls in Gaza are enduring mass starvation, violence, and abuse. Malnutrition is soaring, essential services have collapsed, and survival strategies are increasingly dangerous.
Scale of the Crisis
Since October 2023, more than 28,000 women and girls have been killed in Gaza, according to UN Women—most were mothers who left children and the elderly behind without protection.
UN’s Call to Action
Sima Bahous insists: “This suffering must end immediately. We need unhindered humanitarian access at scale and a permanent ceasefire leading to sustainable peace.” She reiterates calls for safe corridors, unrestricted aid delivery, the release of all hostages, and a ceasefire that leads to lasting peace.
The Human Face of a Famine
According to UN Women, women-led organizations inside Gaza report that desperate mothers are boiling discarded scraps to feed their children, risking their lives to collect water and food, all while basic supplies essential to dignity are exhausted.
About Sima Sami Bahous
Sima Sami Bahous, of Jordanian origin, has served as Executive Director of UN Women since 2021. She previously held roles as Jordan’s Permanent Representative to the UN and Assistant Secretary‑General at the Arab League.
From: UN Women