Israeli Attacks Killed Over 38,000 Women And Girls In Gaza Since October 2023, UN Says

Israeli attacks in the Gaza Strip have killed more than 38,000 women and girls since October 2023, according to a UN report released Friday and cited by multiple outlets.

“Average of 47 women and girls killed daily during Gaza war, UN says By Olivia Le Poidevin GENEVA, April 17 (Reuters) - An average of at least 47 women and girls were killed each day during the war in Gaza, according to figures published by U”

Al-Monitor

The South China Morning Post said the UN report showed that “Israeli attacks in the Gaza Strip killed more than 38,000 women and girls between October 2023 and the end of 2025,” and it added that Palestinian health authorities put the estimated total death toll by the end of 2025 at “just over 71,000,” rising to “more than 72,000 by mid-April.”

Al-Monitor

UN Women’s analysis, as described by the South China Morning Post, found that “over half of all the victims in Gaza by the end of 2025 were women and girls.”

The UN Women figures were also reported as “over 38,000 women and girls” by the Vanguard News, which said the estimate amounted to “over half of the 71,000 deaths recorded by the territory’s health ministry.”

The National similarly reported that UN Women said “More than 38,000 women and girls were killed in Gaza between October 2023 and December 2025 − an average of at least 47 each day.”

Multiple reports tied the deaths to the period of Israeli air bombardment and land military operations, with Vanguard News quoting UN Women’s spokeswoman Sofia Calltorp saying: “Between October 2023 and December 2025, more than 38,000 women and girls were killed in Gaza — the result of Israeli air bombardment and land military operations.”

Even after an October ceasefire, UN Women and other UN-linked reporting described continued killing and injuries for women and girls in Gaza.

The South China Morning Post said Israel continued “sporadic attacks despite a ceasefire with the Islamist group Hamas,” and it reported that the UN Women analysis found that “nearly 11,000 women and girls survived the war in Gaza with injuries that will result in lifelong disabilities.”

Common Dreams

The Independent and TRT World both described the UN Women warning that fatalities persisted “six months into a precarious ceasefire,” with The Independent stating that “the agency cautioned that fatalities have persisted six months into a precarious ceasefire.”

Al-Monitor and Reuters-based reporting, as carried by Al-Monitor, said the UN Women figures were published Friday and that “the agency warned that deaths have continued six months into a fragile ceasefire.”

The National added that the UN agency expressed concern that “the killing of women and girls has continued since an October ceasefire,” while also saying it “could not provide numbers due to a lack of gender-aggregated data.”

The National also reported a specific post-ceasefire death figure from Gaza health authorities, saying “Gaza health authorities said another 760 people had been killed by Israel since a ceasefire took hold on October 10.”

In parallel, the same report said Palestinian militants killed “four Israeli soldiers during the truce,” and it described Israel’s stated objective as “to thwart attacks by Hamas and other militant factions.”

UNICEF’s child-focused reporting was also incorporated into the broader picture, with The Independent saying UNICEF announced “at least 214 deaths reported in the past six months” for children in Gaza.

UN Women officials and human rights monitors framed the report’s findings in terms of gendered impact and civilian harm.

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Le Télégramme

Sofia Calltorp, described as “chief of humanitarian action at UN Women” by Common Dreams and as “UN Women spokesperson” by other outlets, said the report shows the war’s reach across daily life, with Common Dreams quoting her that the war “has affected every aspect of life, with its most horrific toll seen in the scale of death.”

Common Dreams also quoted Calltorp emphasizing the personal nature of the deaths, saying “Those killed were mothers, they were daughters, sisters, and friends—deeply loved by those around them.”

In the same reporting, Calltorp stressed that women and girls accounted for a proportion of deaths “far higher than those observed in previous conflicts in Gaza,” a line repeated by The Independent and TRT World as well.

The Independent quoted Calltorp saying: “They were individuals with lives and with dreams,” and TRT World carried the same phrasing in its account of her remarks in Geneva.

Common Dreams also included a direct quote from Ramy Abdul, chairman of the Euro-Mediterranean Human Rights Monitor, saying “Not a single combatant among them,” and it added “Further confirmation that over 90% of the victims are innocent civilians.”

Shafaq News added another named voice, quoting UN Women Regional Director for the Arab States Moez Doraid as saying “The impact of the war on women and girls has been devastating,” and it reported his call for “full implementation of the ceasefire” and “adherence to international law.”

Across the coverage, outlets described both the scale of the UN Women findings and the limitations on what can be precisely documented.

The South China Morning Post said UN organisations estimate that “the true death toll is significantly higher, as many bodies remain buried under the rubble,” and it added that “the level of destruction in the coastal territory has complicated the process of documenting casualties.”

Morocco World News

Morocco World News similarly said the analysis noted that the numbers are “likely underestimated given the collapse of health information and reporting systems.”

The Independent and TRT World both said the agency expressed concern that killings continued after the October ceasefire but that it “does not know exactly how many have died due to a lack of gender-aggregated data,” with TRT World using that exact phrasing.

The National also said UN Women “could not provide numbers due to a lack of gender-aggregated data,” while still reporting that “Gaza health authorities said another 760 people had been killed by Israel since a ceasefire took hold on October 10.”

Common Dreams framed the dispute over combatant deaths by quoting Ramy Abdul’s claim that “Not a single combatant among them,” and it asserted “Further confirmation that over 90% of the victims are innocent civilians.”

Vanguard News, meanwhile, quoted Calltorp’s daily average as “an average of at least 47 women and girls killed every day,” and it also stated that “nearly 11,000 women and girls in Gaza have sustained injuries so devastating that they survive only with lifelong disabilities.”

Le Télégramme with AFP added a specific Gaza Health Ministry count, saying “As of December 27, the Gaza Health Ministry, under Hamas authority, had counted 71,266 deaths since the start of the conflict,” and it also said “a total of 72,345 people have been killed in the territory since the deadly attacks on October 7, 2023 carried out by the Palestinian Islamist movement Hamas in Israel.”

The UN Women report described not only deaths and injuries but also displacement and access constraints, with multiple outlets quoting Calltorp on the scale of women and girls affected.

“Israeli attacks killed over 38,000 women, girls in Gaza since October 2023, UN says About 11,000 women and girls survived the war with injuries that will result in lifelong disabilities Israeli attacks in the Gaza Strip killed more than 38,000 women and girls between October 2023 and the end of 2025, a UN report published on Friday showed”

South China Morning Post

The South China Morning Post said UN Women reported that “nearly 11,000 women and girls survived the war in Gaza with injuries that will result in lifelong disabilities,” and it added that “Furthermore, UN Women said nearly 11,000 women and girls survived the war in Gaza with injuries that will result in lifelong disabilities.”

South China Morning Post

Vanguard News quoted Calltorp saying the war reshaped Palestinian families, with tens of thousands of Gaza households now headed by women who were sustaining families “without income, without support, or access to essential services.”

Common Dreams quoted Calltorp demanding that the ceasefire deal “be fully implemented,” and it also quoted her saying “respect for international law must be upheld” to ease suffering in Gaza.

Common Dreams further quoted Calltorp that “Humanitarian assistance must reach those in need—at scale and without obstruction,” and it added her demand that “women and girls must be placed at the center of response and recovery efforts.”

The National said “Around one million women and girls are displaced in Gaza,” and it also reported that “More than 500,000 women lack access to essential services, including post and antenatal care, and management of sexually transmitted infections,” citing World Health Organisation figures.

The Independent and TRT World both echoed the infrastructure access problem, with The Independent quoting Calltorp that “extensive damage to infrastructure has made it almost impossible for women and girls in Gaza to access their basic needs like healthcare.”

Shafaq News added that Doraid called for “expanded humanitarian access,” while also warning that women and girls “must be protected.”

Beyond the Gaza-focused humanitarian picture, Common Dreams connected the broader regional context by stating that Israel had been waging “an aerial bombing and ground invasion in Lebanon that has killed thousands of people and displaced more than 1 million,” and it said US President Donald Trump announced on Thursday that Israel and Lebanon came to a ceasefire agreement “set to last for 10 days.”