63 women killed in Gaza per day, says UNRWA
GAZA STRIP
An average of 63 women are killed every day, with 37 of them being mothers “who leave their families behind” in the Gaza Strip, where the war between Israel and Hamas entered sixth month, the U.N. agency for Palestinian refugees said on March 8.
“On the International Women Day, the women in Gaza continue to endure the consequences of this brutal war,” said a statement by the UNRWA on X, formerly known as Twitter.
“At least 9,000 women have been killed, many more are under the rubble. On average, 63 women are killed in Gaza per day- 37 are mothers who leave their families behind,” it said.
The Health Ministry in Hamas-run Gaza also said on March 8 at least 30,878 people were killed the territory.
About 60,000 pregnant women in Gaza are facing malnutrition and dehydration due to Israel's conflict with the enclave, the ministry reported one day before the International Women's Day on March 8.
"Women are giving birth without basic medical assistance. They lack of menstrual hygiene products and privacy in exceptionally unsanitary living conditions,” the UNRWA said in another post.
Some 95 percent of pregnant and breastfeeding women in north Gaza face severe food poverty, the agency said, adding that nearly nine in 10 women “find it harder to access food than men.”
Biden announces emergency port for Gaza aid
With the humanitarian condition worsening in the war-torn strip, U.S. President Joe Biden announced that the U.S. military will establish a temporary port off Gaza's coast to bring in desperately needed aid in a major operation as Israel holds up deliveries on the ground.
Announcing the initiative in his annual State of the Union address, Biden pleaded with Israel to let more assistance into the blockaded territory even as he defended its military operation against Hamas.
"Tonight, I'm directing the U.S. military to lead an emergency mission to establish a temporary pier in the Mediterranean on the coast of Gaza that can receive large shipments carrying food, water medicine and temporary shelters," Biden told the joint session of Congress.
"A temporary pier will enable a massive increase in the amount of humanitarian assistance getting in Gaza," Biden said.
While led by the U.S. military, the operation will not put U.S. troops on the ground in Gaza, he said.
"To the leadership of Israel, I say this: Humanitarian assistance cannot be a secondary consideration or a bargaining chip. Protecting and saving innocent lives has to be a priority," Biden said.
The temporary port will feature a pier that will "provide the capacity for hundreds of additional truckloads of assistance each day," a senior Biden administration official said.
In a key factor for Israel, the shipments will be screened by the United States and partners in European Union member Greek Cyprus.
British top diplomat David Cameron said the U.K. will work alongside the U.S. to open a maritime corridor to deliver aid directly to Gaza. European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen also said she expected a maritime aid corridor to start operating between Greek Cyprus and Gaza.
However, the U.N. aid coordinator for the Palestinian territory, Sigrid Kaag, told a Security Council meeting that air and sea deliveries cannot be a "substitute" for land deliveries, which were halted after Oct. 7 and have only gradually resumed.