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Last Israeli offensive on Gaza leaves over 34,000 displaced Palestinian women

Xinhua, March 9, 2015 Adjust font size:

Last summer's Israeli large-scale military offensive waged on the Gaza Strip left more than 34,000 Palestinian women displaced, a Gaza-based rights group said in a report published on the occasion of the International Woman's Day on Sunday.

The Palestinians in the West Bank and Gaza marked the International Woman's Day amid calls of empowering women's rights, protecting them, ending the Israeli military occupation and establishing an independent Palestinian state with east Jerusalem as its capital.

The Gaza-based Al-Mezan Center for Human Rights said in the report emailed to Xinhua that "last year's Israeli onslaught on the Gaza Strip has led to the displacement of 34,697 Palestinian women, while 791 others lost their spouses and 600 others suffered abortions."

"Israel committed war crimes against Gaza women last year," the report said, noting that according to the monitoring and documentation operations carried out by the center, last summer's Israeli war on the Gaza Strip has left 293 women dead.

The homes of the 34,697 displaced women were destroyed, while 2,604 other homes owned by women were razed by Israeli forces, the report said.

The center urged international rights group to support Gaza women and protect them against the Israeli violations.

Meanwhile, the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) urged the international community to help protect Palestinian women "who continue to suffer under the yoke of the Israeli occupation."

The PLO Executive Committee member, Hanan Ashrawi, said in an emailed statement that Palestinian women "are an integral partner in building the state of Palestine and continue to contribute to building the development of the Palestinian society."

On Saturday, dozens of Palestinian women rallied at the main square of the Unknown Soldier in Gaza city, carrying banners calling for defending the rights of Palestinian women in the Palestinian territories, mainly in the Gaza Strip, and ending the Israeli occupation. Endit