Women mourn the Palestinians killed during Israeli strikes at a hospital, in Khan Younis, Gaza Strip, on Nov. 3, 2023. (REUTERS)

Sinem Cengiz: In films, a dramatic moment of imminent danger or wartime crisis is often accompanied by the phrase: “Save the women and children first.” This is because, as in every conflict, women and children tend to suffer most and bear a disproportionate burden. However, while the “women and children first” approach in movies means they are considered innocent civilians, in present-day circumstances, they are the ones facing the harshest impact of war.

Throughout history, women and children have consistently borne the brunt of the consequences of war, suffering long-term hardships. Israel’s war in Gaza exemplifies this tragic reality, as it continues to take a heavy toll on the lives of women and children with each passing day.

A report from the UN reveals that women and children make up 70 percent of the deaths in Gaza. According to the UN Population Fund, about 50,000 pregnant women in the Gaza Strip lack access to essential health services and over 5,500 women are expected to give birth, all in the absence of adequate medical facilities.

If Israel continues to block humanitarian aid from entering Gaza, many of these pregnant women will have no safe place to give birth, with most likely to experience complications. Some reports have even described women giving birth by emergency C-section with no power, using only the light of mobile phones. These women, living in a constant state of fear, discomfort and depression, are desperately seeking a safe environment to bring their unborn children into the world.

A UN rapid gender analysis of the situation echoes these concerns. This war is expected to result in increased maternal and infant mortality and morbidity, undermining the healthcare progress previously achieved in Palestine. Also, lack of clean water poses a crisis for parents, primarily mothers, trying to feed their babies. As Gaza struggles to treat thousands of people injured by Israeli airstrikes, these needs will likely go largely unmet.

Furthermore, Human Rights Watch has reported that the humanitarian crisis unfolding in Gaza is disproportionately affecting women and girls in specific and devastating ways. Shelter conditions in Gaza for the estimated 1.4 million internally displaced people have become dire, with women and girls facing severe shortages of menstrual hygiene products, and experiencing cases of sexually transmitted diseases and urinary tract infections, often without access to medical treatment available in the severely overcrowded shelters.

All of these challenges pose additional risks to the health and lives of women and children. Their suffering underscores the urgent need for the international community to press for the restoration of electricity and water supplies, the allowance of fuel into Gaza, and the opening of border crossings for humanitarian aid.

Even before the current war, the situation in Gaza was desperate, with residents enduring Israeli airstrikes in multiple rounds of conflict over the past few years, leading to 98 percent of women fearing for their safety. Depression levels among women were already high due to a profound sense of hopelessness.

The Middle East has a long history of women’s struggle for fundamental rights, and against military occupation, patriarchy, homophobia, terrorism, domestic violence and poor working conditions. Thus, Palestinian women have their own long history of fighting for their rights. However, what is happening now is an unprecedented war that the region has not witnessed for decades.

Amid all the atrocities of the Gaza war, this week marked the anniversary of the UN Security Council Resolution 1325 on “Women, Peace, and Security.” In October 2000, the resolution was adopted, recognizing the role of women in strengthening their participation in decision-making, ending sexual violence and impunity, and strengthening prospects for sustainable peace. Despite several resolutions aimed at addressing gender-based violence during wars, the international community’s inadequacy is glaring, particularly given the staggering numbers of casualties among women that these international legal mechanisms were designed to protect.

The international community and the field of international relations often overlook women and children under the conflation of “womenandchildren” — a one-word term coined by the feminist scholar Cynthia Enloe. They are often depicted as victims of war. However, when Enloe and other scholars speak about those most affected by war, they tend to mean women and children are more than just victims. On the contrary, they can be — and have been — active participants for the peace-building efforts. The links between women’s development, peace, security, and human rights cannot be denied. To a great extent, women need to be actively included and involved in the formal aspects of the peace process so that they can advocate for their rights and rally for peace at a national level.

Even though women are often the hardest hit by wars, including in Gaza, they are more than just victims; they are crucial figures in the efforts to build peace. Like everyone else, we hope for an end to this war, and look forward to the day when women are not the most affected during war but, rather, the most influential in the peace-building efforts.

Writer: Sinem Cengiz is a Turkish political analyst who specializes in Turkiye’s relations with the Middle East.