Amnesty Says Israel Systematically Uses Sexual and Reproductive Violence Against Gaza Women and Girls

Amnesty International says Israeli forces have systematically subjected Palestinian women and girls in Gaza to sexual and reproductive violence amid indiscriminate bombing and relentless destruction of civilian infrastructure.

“Amnesty International said that what Palestinian women and girls in the Gaza Strip are experiencing represents one of the most severe forms of discrimination and violence against women, in light of ongoing Israeli attacks and the widespread destruction they have caused to livelihoods and health care, particularly reproductive care”

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The organization declared the situation one of the most severe forms of gendered violence linked to a broader campaign against Palestinians.

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Amnesty cited a UN inquiry report that in March 2025 concluded Israel 'systematically used sexual and reproductive violence and other gender-based abuses, destroyed women’s and reproductive health facilities and blocked access to essential care, findings described as acts of genocide.'

Amnesty stressed these findings in its own public statements about the Gaza genocide and the extreme threats faced by women and girls.

Amnesty’s description foregrounds deliberate assault on reproductive capacity as part of violence against civilians rather than incidental collateral damage.

The UN findings that Amnesty relies on are explicit.

Investigators concluded in March 2025 that Israel had destroyed women's and reproductive health facilities and blocked essential reproductive care.

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In September 2025 the committee determined that Israel may have committed genocide in Gaza by imposing measures aimed at preventing childbirth.

Those determinations identify reproductive violence — from denying maternal health services to physical and sexual abuses — as a component of a campaign that targets Palestinian survival and bodily autonomy.

Amnesty linked the UN committee’s determinations to its own December 2024 report, which documents killings, severe physical and psychological harm, and harsh living conditions inflicted on Palestinians with an intent to destroy them in whole or in part — including harms that are gender-specific or that disproportionately affect women and girls.

“Amnesty International said that what Palestinian women and girls in the Gaza Strip are experiencing represents one of the most severe forms of discrimination and violence against women, in light of ongoing Israeli attacks and the widespread destruction they have caused to livelihoods and health care, particularly reproductive care”

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By connecting those patterns, Amnesty argues that sexual and reproductive violence in Gaza is not isolated but part of a broader strategy of destruction of Palestinian communities.

The immediate consequences for women and girls are catastrophic: loss of access to reproductive and maternal health care, exposure to sexual violence, severe psychological trauma, and the collapse of livelihoods and services that sustain family and community life.

Amnesty emphasizes that these are not incidental effects of warfare but targeted and systematic abuses that exacerbate the genocidal impact on Gaza’s civilian population, especially on those who carry and raise the next generation.

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Amnesty says it is continuing to document violations, press for accountability, and mobilize support for Palestinian women and girls.

“Amnesty International said that what Palestinian women and girls in the Gaza Strip are experiencing represents one of the most severe forms of discrimination and violence against women, in light of ongoing Israeli attacks and the widespread destruction they have caused to livelihoods and health care, particularly reproductive care”

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Amnesty places the Gaza genocide in a broader international context of backsliding on gender equality, attacks on reproductive rights, silencing of feminist voices, and cuts to funding for women's rights organisations.

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The group calls for accountability efforts that recognise gendered harms as central to the crimes documented.

The group also calls for international action to restore medical services and reproductive care targeted in this campaign.