“It’s a suffering I wouldn’t wish upon any woman” — Nada Abdelasalem, a Gaza war survivor. 

It’s been over 11 months since Israel invaded Gaza, and the situation continues to go from bad to worse.

The war has not only impacted lives but has deeply shaken humanity, especially when women and children are specifically targeted.

UN Women estimates that 70% of the total casualties in the Gaza war are women and children, with 10,000 women among the dead, including 6,000 mothers who have left behind 19,000 orphaned children. 

Unfortunately, for the women who are surviving, their existence feels no different from being trapped in a living coffin. They might wish they had been killed in the invasion instead.

Since the Onset of Israel – Gaza War…

The women in the war-affected region are helpless. They are crushed under mountains of sorrow. 

First, there is the unbearable pain of losing their children. Then, for some, it’s the grief of losing a brother; for others, their parents, and for many, their husbands. 

On top of all this, they have no roof over their heads, and they are forced to live in refugee camps without access to clean water, food, or basic hygiene. 

The weight of these tragedies is overwhelming, leaving them with little hope and unimaginable suffering.

The lack of necessities for survival has impacted their overall well-being and dignity. 

“We lived in a cozy three-bedroom apartment with a kitchen, built by my husband after years of hard work in construction. But when the war erupted, we lost everything, including my five-month pregnancy. 

We are forced to live in a single tent, with toilets that aren’t even enclosed by four walls. I can’t shower regularly to maintain proper hygiene. I feel like my privacy is constantly being violated.” — Reham conflict survivor. 

The situation for women in Gaza is so dire that they don’t even have extra clothes to change into. Many were forced to flee their homes wearing only the clothes on their backs.

“I wear a prayer robe for everything – to sleep in, to go out,” — Nada, a war-torn victim. 

The situation is even worse, as nearly 1 million women and children now have almost no food, clean water, restrooms, and sanitary pads. It has created a poor environment, as diseases spread rapidly in these unbearable living conditions.

The Doors of Aid Are Almost Closed

What could be worse than all of this? Sadly, for the women of Gaza, their suffering goes even deeper as they endure conditions even more horrific than what has already been described.

According to the World Health Organization and UN agencies, there have been 117 attacks on Gaza’s health infrastructure since the war began. 

These attacks have led to the closure of 64% of primary healthcare centers, and half of the hospitals are now non-operational.

The most heartbreaking aspect of this situation is that every day, 150 women in Gaza give birth to a child. With fuel, medicine, water, and health supplies rapidly diminishing, women are forced to give birth without anesthesia. 

“The war turned our lives upside down,” Etemad Assaf says, rubbing the clothes with her hand.

“Every night, I feel like I’m going to give birth now because I’m so tired.”

“You see? Is this a suitable life for a pregnant woman? A tent, cold, open air, and the lack of the necessities of life?”

Additionally, it is estimated that 15% of these pregnant women experience birth complications, requiring basic or comprehensive obstetric care. Sadly, several women have reported dying during or before giving birth to a child. 

Furthermore, according to a survey, around 50,000 women are currently pregnant, and more than 690,000 menstruating women and girls have limited access to menstrual hygiene products.

Help for diseases is a distant thought; right now, the condition of women in Gaza is so dire that they don’t even have access to basic medical facilities.

Being Women in Gaza 

For women in Gaza, it feels like they are forced to endure the constant fear of death every day—whether from bombings, the lack of healthcare resources, or the unbearable grief of losing their loved ones.

Survival is becoming increasingly difficult with each passing day, especially for women who are pregnant or have recently given birth. 

Many areas are grappling with severe hunger and food shortages, which makes it even more challenging for women to care for their children and newborns. Many have lost their breadwinners and are now relying solely on humanitarian aid to survive.

Finding milk for their children has become nearly impossible, and providing basic nutrition is a constant struggle. 

As the situation worsens, these women are forced to make heartbreaking choices, trying to sustain their families with whatever little they can find. 

The lack of food, medical care, and safety is pushing them to the brink, with no end in sight to their suffering.

Their only hope for improvement lies in the end of the war and the continuous flow of humanitarian aid and essential resources. Without peace and consistent support, their struggle for survival will only grow more desperate.

Despite the lack of sustainability and safe access, the UN has dispatched life-saving and humanitarian aid to Gaza. 

Unfortunately, this aid is insufficient, and more support is urgently needed for the women of Gaza, particularly for pregnant women and newborn babies.

It is crucial to note that no fuel has entered Gaza since October 7, leaving food, electricity, and other necessities out of reach for its residents. 

The only thing sustaining them is hope—the hope that the conflict will end soon and that essential supplies like medicines, healthcare resources, and food will once again become accessible.

Sudan Crisis – The northeastern African nation is on the brink of collapsing as high fighting continues between the Sudanese Armed Forces and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF). 

The ongoing collision has affected more than 1 billion people, killed hundreds, and turned Khartoum’s capital into a war zone. The civilians are migrating to the neighboring countries of Chad, Libya, Ethiopia, and Egypt to shelter and protect their lives. 

Under solidarity, the Sudanese Armed Forces and the Rapid Support Forces agreed to allow civilians to leave the war zone. Moreover, they also agreed to allow humanitarian aid to enter and process the relief operations for the injured.  

But what led Sudan to the catastrophic war today? Here’s an explainer:

What made Sudan’s Capitol a War Zone? 

Sudanese people have struggled to establish a democracy after decades under the one-person rule.

Omar al Bashir came into power in the late 1980s after a brutal military coup. He became the country’s president, ruled for 30 years before the populace erupted, and sought his resignation.

Omar al Bashir resigned after the former military coup, and the Sudanese Army took over Sudan. But people didn’t want them to rule or be in charge of Sudan either. So after immense pressure from the protestors, activists, and demonstrators, the Army agreed to share powers. 

The Army led by Abdel Fattah AL-Burhan agreed to share powers with different political groups in the transitional government. It was intended to oversee the shift to a democratic system. However, the people of Sudan’s’ fortune have some time else in their destiny. After two years, the Army removed the new prime minister and seized power again. 

With the Army in power, the people of Sudan seemed trapped and in limbo. With no clear path or trajectory to rule the country, the armed force and political group representatives have been in ongoing talks to make the transition happen again. However, the transition process held up due to underlying revelry between the Army and the Rapid Support Force that became the Second Army. 

Also Read: Threat To Famine In South Sudan

The Friends that Become Enemies 

The effective leader of the country AL-Burhan, and the leader of RSF, General Mohammed Hamdan Dagalo, aka Hemedti, were friends initially. For years both were on the same stage and joined hands after the war in Darfur (2003 civil war). Hemedti led a militia at the time known as Janjaweed; they were used by Al-bushir’s (the former president of Sudan) Army. 

The Janjaweed help the Al-bushier army fight rebels in the Darfur region and protect the upper echelon of the Army and senior commanders. However, they were accused of war crimes in Darfur, and AL-Bashir was charged with committing genocide in 2013. Hence, in 2013 Hemedti led the militia to rebrand themselves as the Rapid Support Forces and worked with the Army on different missions.  

Moreover, al-Burhan and Hemedti joined hands and planned to overthrow Omar al-Bashir, the country’s longtime leader, in 2019. 

Besides, they planned a revolution in October 2021, upending the tenuous transition to civilian administration that had been initiated.

Gen Dagalo has said, in a series of tweets, that Gen Burhan’s government were “radical Islamists” and that he and the RSF were “fighting for the people of Sudan to ensure the democratic progress for which they have so long yearned.”

The international community must take action now and intervene against the crimes of Sudanese General Abdel Fattah Al-Burhan, a radical Islamist who is bombing civilians from the air. His army is waging a brutal campaign against innocent people, bombing them with MiGs. 1/4

— Mohamed Hamdan Daglo (@GeneralDagllo) April 17, 2023

Though the friendship does not last for long, and Gen Dagalo, aka Hemedti, force becomes more powerful. During the pro-democracy protest against Al-Bashir, the RSF force and Army were accused of killing hundreds of people. 

In the tweets, Hemedti stated: “The international community must take action now and intervene against the crimes of Sudanese General Abdel Fattah Al-Burhan, a radical Islamist who is bombing civilians from the air. His Army is waging a brutal campaign against innocent people, bombing them with MiGs.”

Also Read: The Egyptian Army in Sudan… What are the Reasons?

The War of Power in the Sudan Crisis

Since the killing during the pro-democracy protest, the Hemedti force has acted more independently and grown powerfully. Hemedti forces were able to establish vast investments in the resources within the country and outside, too, especially in gold trading. 

So that brings us to the current Sudan crisis with the realization of the rapid growth of Hemedti force supremacies over Sudan. And expressive political ambition of Hemedti, Gen Al-Burhan led the Army and proposed integrating the Hemedti force into Sudan’s Army. 

However, both heads were unable to agree on the timeline. The Army initially proposed two years of integration, while RSF wanted ten years. 

It is unclear who started the fight, but on April 15, both sides began swapping accusations that they had attacked each other’s bases in Khartoum. 

Slowly, they control the presidential palace, the airport, and the state TV channel. The RSF has no aircraft but a heavy army force with 10,000 men and anti-aircraft weapons. The Army has air power. They have been hitting the RSF residential areas bases in the capitol. 

Both forces are fighting brutally and keep damaging the country’s resources alongside the life of millions of people. There have been plenty of calls to stop the war and take the talk to the table from Sudan’s neighbors. Additionally, despite the efforts of the African Union, the UN, the US, the UK, and the EU, there is no sign of backing up from either side. 

The South Sudanese foreign minister was forced to mediate the war and reach a ceasefire agreement, but violations continued unabated. The two sides say they agreed to hold the talk, but they have repeatedly heard from the Army that conditions are set for these talks. 

However, mass migration is escalating in Sudan with the acceleration in the humanitarian situation. The situation is already out of control; it’s now for big cats to intervene. The UN should take strict action and protect the rights of the people of Sudan. 

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