More than 38,000 women, girls killed in Gaza since October 2023, says UN
Apr 19, 2026
Geneva [Switzerland], April 19: Israeli attacks in the Gaza Strip killed more than 38,000 women and girls between October 2023 and the end of 2025, a UN report published on Friday shows.
Palestinian health authorities put the estimated total death toll by the end of 2025 at just over 71,000, rising to more than 72,000 by mid-April as Israel continued sporadic attacks despite a ceasefire with the Islamist group Hamas.
According to the analysis by UN Women, this means over half of all the victims in Gaza by the end of 2025 were women and girls. UN organizations estimate that the true death toll is significantly higher, as many bodies remain buried under the rubble, while the level of destruction in the coastal territory has complicated the process of documenting casualties.
Furthermore, UN Women said nearly 11,000 women and girls survived the war in Gaza with injuries that will result in lifelong disabilities.
Women and girls have been particularly affected by the conflict in other ways too. Many have no access to hygiene products such as menstrual pads, while some displaced women have had to give birth in tents or outdoors because there was no transport available to hospitals, Director of the UN Women office in Geneva Sofia Calltorp said.
Israel launched a major offensive on the Gaza Strip after the Hamas-led attacks in Israel on October 7, 2023.
Source: Qatar Tribune
