Nearly 50,000 women and girls in Gaza have been killed or seriously injured since the war began in October 2023, according to an estimate released on Thursday by UN Women. That amounts to one in every 21 women and girls in the territory either dead or living with a permanent disability.

The agency said more than 38,000 women and girls had been killed and 11,700 seriously wounded by Israeli airstrikes and ground operations. While most of the recorded casualties occurred in the first two years of the conflict, UN Women said women and girls were still "being targeted" despite a ceasefire that took effect in October 2025. Some 277 women and girls were among those killed over the past year.

Israeli forces have issued more than 150 evacuation orders across Gaza since October 2023, displacing around one million women and girls, nearly all of those living in the Strip. Miscarriages reached about 4,000 in the first half of 2026, three times the figure for the last six months of 2025. The number of widows and female heads of household has doubled.

In a survey of 14 frontline women's organisations, 13 reported rising needs, rising child marriage and an inability to keep up with demand. All reported increases in gender-based violence, poverty and psychological distress.

UN Women called for full implementation of the ceasefire, respect for international law and unimpeded humanitarian access. Separately, the UN humanitarian office, OCHA, said Israeli authorities had reopened the Kerem Shalom crossing to aid shipments after a one-day closure.