Ministry of Women’s Affairs Statement on the International Day of Peace

21 September 2026

On the occasion of the International Day of Peace, observed annually on 21 September, the Ministry of Women’s Affairs affirms that any discussion of peace in Palestine cannot be separated from the realities faced by women and girls, including loss, displacement, detention, violence, and restrictions on movement and access to essential services. As the United Nations emphasizes, peace does not merely mean the absence of war, it is also intrinsically linked to security, dignity, rights, opportunities, and the ability to live in safety.

This year’s International Day of Peace comes amid the continuing humanitarian, social, and economic repercussions of the war in Gaza Strip, including loss of life, mass displacement, and extensive damage destruction to homes, infrastructure, and essential services. According to the latest data published by the Palestinian Central Bureau of Statistics, approximately 12,400 women had been killed in Gaza Strip as of 18 July 2026. Around 4,700 women and children were reported missing, while women and children accounted for approximately 70 per cent of the injured, according to official statistics.

The Ministry of Women’s Affairs stresses that casualty figures alone do not reflect the full scale of the impact on women. The loss of breadwinners, displacement, injuries, and detention have led to a substantial increase in the number of women bearing responsibility for supporting their families, with the resulting economic, social, and humanitarian burdens. These repercussions are particularly evident across the West Bank, including East Jerusalem, and Gaza Strip, where women face growing consequences arising from military operations, settler violence, home demolitions, forced displacement, and restrictions on movement and access to livelihoods and essential services. In an analysis published on 15 September 2026, UN Women reported that more than 20,000 women and girls were among the more than 41,500 Palestinians displaced in the West Bank. The number of female-headed households was estimated at approximately 83,200, equivalent to nearly one in every eight households. Meanwhile, in Gaza Strip, the same estimates indicate that approximately 86,000 households have become female-headed—nearly one in every four households—amid damaged housing, repeated displacement, and severe difficulties in accessing resources and essential services.

The Ministry also draws attention to the suffering of Palestinian women prisoners and detainees. According to the latest figures published by Palestinian prisoner’s organizations on 16^th of September 2026, approximately 9,350 Palestinian prisoners and detainees were being held in Israeli prisons, including 90 women. These organizations also documented 107 cases of women being arrested in the West Bank and Jerusalem during the first half of 2026.

The Ministry of Women’s Affairs affirms that protecting Palestinian women and girls is not merely a humanitarian or moral imperative, it is grounded in clear obligations under international humanitarian law and international human rights law. The Fourth Geneva Convention requires protected persons to be treated humanely and safeguarded against acts of violence, and it provides special protection for women. Article 49 prohibits the individual or mass forcible transfer of protected persons from occupied territory, while Article 76 establishes safeguards governing the treatment of detainees, including medical care and specific protections for detained women.

The Ministry further underscores United Nations Security Council Resolution 1325 on Women, Peace and Security, which calls for the protection of women and girls in conflict, respect for the international law applicable to their rights, and protection from gender-based violence. It also calls for strengthened representation and participation of women at all levels of conflict prevention, management and resolution, and in peacebuilding.

The Ministry of Women’s Affairs calls upon the international community, the United Nations, and the competent international bodies to fulfil their responsibilities with regard to protection and accountability, ensure respect for international humanitarian law and human rights, and secure safe and unimpeded access for women and girls to food, water, health care—including sexual and reproductive health services—shelter, protection, legal assistance, and psychosocial services.

The Ministry also calls for independent and effective investigations into reported violations against women and girls, for such violations to be documented and the related evidence preserved in accordance with professional and legal standards, and for victims and survivors to have access to justice, effective remedies, reparations, and rehabilitation. It affirms that accountability and guarantees of non-recurrence are indispensable to any credible path towards sustainable peace and the rule of law.

The Ministry places particular emphasis on the need to safeguard the rights, dignity, and physical and psychological well-being of Palestinian women prisoners and detainees, provide them with appropriate health care, including services responsive to women’s specific health needs, and ensure that they are treated in accordance with international humanitarian law and the relevant international standards governing the treatment of persons deprived of their liberty.

At the same time, the Ministry of Women’s Affairs stresses that Palestinian women image must not be reduced to the image of victims or passive recipients of assistance and protection. They are essential partners in protecting their families and preserving the social fabric, as well as in humanitarian and community action, decision-making, peacebuilding, recovery, and reconstruction. Ensuring their meaningful and effective participation in setting priorities, managing resources, and formulating policies is an integral part of the Women, Peace and Security agenda.

In this context, the Ministry, as the national body responsible for advancing the Women, Peace and Security agenda, continues its efforts to implement the Third National Action Plan for United Nations Security Council Resolution 1325. The Plan focuses on prevention, protection, participation, relief, recovery, reconstruction, and accountability, while linking these pillars to recovery, reconstruction, and peacebuilding processes.

On this International Day of Peace, the Ministry of Women’s Affairs renews its call for international commitments towards Palestinian women to be translated from pledges and declarations into concrete action that provides protection, ensures respect for rights, strengthens accountability, and enables women to participate fully and equally in decisions affecting their lives and the future of their society.