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UN: Two women killed every hour over two consecutive years in Gaza

Director of the UN Women Geneva Office Sophia Calltorp
Director of the UN Women Geneva Office Sophia Calltorp
GENEVA, Oct 17 (KUNA) -- Two women and girls were killed every two hours in Gaza over the past two years, the United Nations declared on Friday.
Director of the UN Women Geneva Office Sophia Calltorp said, "For two years women and girls in Gaza were killed at the rate of roughly two every hour," stressing that "this number only defines the scale of this war, and it will haunt our collective conscience for generations." During a news conference held in Geneva, Calltorp stated that more than one million women and girls in Gaza continue to require urgent food assistance while around a quarter of a million are in need for immediate nutritional support.
She said the recent ceasefire announcement represented "a critical opportunity for swift action to halt and prevent famine." Calltorp noted that most women in Gaza have been displaced more than four times since the beginning of the war, warning that their suffering continues especially with the onset of winter and absence of adequate shelter.
She pointed out that one in every seven families in Gaza is now headed by a woman, urging that aid must reach them directly so they can feed their children, access healthcare and rebuild their livelihoods.
The UN official emphasized that the figures presented "are not mere statistics but a stark reminder that Gaza's recovery will not be possible without the women and girls who have kept the strip alive amid hunger, fear and displacement." Calltorp further noted that "every dollar invested in supporting women is an investment in hope," explaining that "according to UN Women estimates every dollar in women's hands can generate an eight dollars return for the community." She called for placing the needs of women and girls at the heart of humanitarian response and reconstruction plans warning that failing to do so would mean excluding half of society from Gaza's future.
Calltorp affirmed that UN Women Office is working closely with all its partners within the United Nations to scale up aid delivery, ensure it reaches women and girls safely and meet their real needs.
She also urged all parties to fully respect the ceasefire and called on member states to immediately step up funding to save lives in Gaza stressing that "if we are true about hope we must act on it, if we are true about peace we must restore it through women." (End) imk.rk