In an exclusive interview with Al-Qaheera News Channel, Maryse Guimond, UN Women Special Representative in Palestine, sheds light on the devastating humanitarian situation in Gaza, particularly its impact on women and girls.

After more than 11 months of war, the health care system in Gaza has almost collapsed. Nearly 84 per cent of health facility buildings have been destroyed or damaged, and those remaining in service lack medicines, ambulances, basic life-saving treatment, electricity, and water.

“We thank God every day we wake up alive. We are like funerals postponed, dressed and ready to die, waiting for our turn”. In southern Gaza, 44-year-old Hayam Farahat is navigating life with her family amid the ongoing war between Israel and Hamas.

Duha Shellah, 26 years old, is a Palestinian young doctor and medical journalist. She is the founder & CEO of the Researchist, a research community working to increase youth and women’s representation in research and science. In 2022, Duha was recognized as one of the world’s 21 outstanding young physicians by the Inter-Academy Partnership in Berlin, Germany. She is also an Eastern Mediterranean Region Delegate at World Federation of Public Health Associations (Young Council). Additionally, Duha is a coordinator at the Medical & Health Sciences division of the Palestine Academy for Science and Technology. Among other things, Duha is the Student Editor-in-Chief and Ambassador at the International Journal of Medical Students.

Female inmates in the correction and rehabilitation centres of the West Bank are battling with their mental health due to the lack of strong family and community ties and the harsh realities of violence they have faced. To address these challenges, the Ministry of Social Development (MoSD) organized a specialized training programme for counsellors, with the support of the Sawasya Programme through UN Women Palestine.

Sanabel Ahmed Abusaid, 39, lives with her 13-year-old daughter, parents, and brother in Gaza. She is divorced and raises her daughter on her own. Her ex-husband lives in the Gulf. Apart from being a human rights and women’s rights activist, Sanabel has worked with civil society organizations in Gaza, including Women’s Affairs Centre, a UN Women Partner, where she is a Monitoring, Evaluation, Accountability & Learning Advisor working to empower women and advocate for gender equality.

UN Women-supported project aims to reinforce women’s leadership and participation in emergency response, including COVID-19, and equitable recovery. It is part of a larger programme on “Advancing the Women, Peace and Security (WPS) agenda in Palestine.” Funded by Norway, this project aims at supporting the Palestinian institutions and civil society in implementing a National Action Plan (NAP) on UN Security Council Resolution 1325, and increasing women’s participation in emergency response and post-conflict recovery.

A One-Stop Centre in Ramallah has been pressed into service as medium-term safe accommoda-tion, a quarantine centre, and more, to ensure women have somewhere to escape violence at home throughout the pandemic and lockdown.

The provision of mental health and reintegration support services for women in detention is critical to ensuring their rehabilitation. A joint programme by UN Women, UNDP and UNICEF in Palestine is supporting such interventions in a manner that empowers women and make them able to cope with new challenges -such as the COVID-19 crisis- in constructive and positive ways. In addition to receiving psychosocial support, female inmates like Nada are learning new crafts such as mosaic, embroidery...

Due to shortages in COVID-19 testing kits, coupled with an already paralyzed health sector, the authorities in Gaza have designated quarantine centres for those returning from abroad to avoid a major outbreak in one of the world’s most densely populated areas. The situation is particularly difficult for cancer patients, like Marwa, returning from treatment in Israel and in need of specialized medical help, as their weakened immune systems leave them at higher risk of contracting COVID-19.

Early into the COVID-19 crisis, UN Women, in partnership with Arab World for Research and Development, conducted in-depth interviews with Palestinian women in the West Bank and Gaza for a new study that sheds new light on the situation and needs of Palestinian women and girls.

Raja Shahwan, 40, participated in the “Spring Forward for Women” regional programme funded by the European Union and UN Women to promote the access and effective participation of marginalized women in economic and public life. Today Ms. Shahwan is employed full-time and an active member of the Women Local Committees in Gaza, Palestine, which help women participate in local governance and community activities.

The Central Election Commission and UN Women entered in a new agreement to enhance Palestinian's women political participation.