A Statement from the Women in Migration Network
(In Arabic, English, French and Spanish. See links below)
The Women in Migration Network (WIMN) calls for an immediate and permanent ceasefire in Gaza; cessation of military funding to Israel; and an end to the occupation of Palestine. We condemn the indiscriminate attacks against civilians; the widespread destruction of infrastructure and environment; forced mass displacement; and the blockade of critical humanitarian aid—crimes which the International Court of Justice has described as “plausible of intent to commit genocide.”
Six months into the assault on Gaza, the situation is dire: over 35,000 women, men, and children have been killed and many more are seriously wounded by the Israeli bombardment. The recent discovery of mass graves at Nasser and Al-Shifa hospitals indicate potential crimes against humanity, with victims—including children—bearing signs of bound limbs and torture.
70% of the infrastructure of Gaza has been destroyed and 85% of Gaza’s population—1.9 million civilians—have been forcibly displaced by Israeli military operations. Israel has deliberately targeted hospitals with over 800 documented attacks on healthcare facilities and hundreds of health care workers and young volunteers killed or detained. Lifesaving medical supplies have been restricted. The blockade on humanitarian aid, including food and medical supplies, has exacerbated the crisis and jeopardized countless more lives. Gaza now faces widespread famine, with acute malnutrition rates soaring, particularly among vulnerable groups like the elderly and children under five. The infrastructure and environmental devastation due to the bombing will have additional, long-term consequences for human sustenance in Gaza.
Israel has systematically targeted journalists chronicling the genocide. At least 97 journalists and media workers have been killed since October, according to the Committee to Project Journalists. These efforts to stifle free expression have reverberated globally in the brutal suppression of non-violent protests and academic freedom, particularly in Europe and the United States.
State violence, inequitable economic policies, racism, and harmful environmental and labor practices are inextricably linked in patriarchal systems. Palestinian women are primary caregivers who have taken on additional burdens with the mass detention and murder of Palestinian men. They grapple with caring for their children while seeking food, shelter, and safety amid limited resources and pervasive violence. Women’s health has suffered due to Israel’s attacks on vital infrastructure and blockade of basic necessities, which has led to limited access to public toilets, and a lack of water and hygiene supplies, including menstrual products. Pregnant women “struggle to find basic safety and nourishment, let alone prenatal care.”
The crisis in Gaza affects not only displaced Gazans but also migrant workers in Israel who are working in dangerous conditions. Palestinian workers are being replaced by migrant workers through bilateral agreements—which do not necessarily protect their human and workers’ rights—with countries that include Uzbekistan, India, Sri Lanka and Ecuador. In 2022, there were 112,000 Palestinian workers and 105,000 temporary foreign workers in Israel.
The erosion of international law and human rights norms both in Israel and abroad is alarming. As a women’s human rights organization, we champion feminist-informed policies that address the root causes of conflict and displacement and advocate equal commitment to peace and justice for all. We echo the call by UN human rights experts to end military funding to Israel and demand accountability through independent investigation of alleged war crimes; to support robust humanitarian aid efforts and fulfill commitments to fund the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA); and to support lasting peace through the realization of Palestinian self-determination and an end to the occupation.
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This is a statement by the Women in Migration Network as affirmed by its Board of Directors, whose members serve in their individual capacity, not as organizational representatives. Statements by the Women in Migration Network may not necessarily reflect the positions of its member organizations.
Click the titles below to read and download the statement in Arabic, English, French or Spanish: