Reproductive violence, this needs to stop

[GiantBranch]

“Israel’s war in Gaza has led to a 41% fall in births in the territory and high numbers of maternal deaths, miscarriages, newborn mortality and premature births, two reports on the impact of the conflict on pregnant women, babies and maternity care reveal.
Two reports by Physicians for Human Rights, in collaboration with the Global Human Rights Clinic at the University of Chicago Law School, and Physicians for Human Rights–Israel (PHRI) document how the war has led to high figures for maternal and neonatal mortality and forced births in dangerous conditions and systematically dismantled health services – consequences of “a deliberate intention of preventing births among Palestinians, meeting the legal criteria of the genocide convention,” researchers said.

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2026/jan/14/gaza-war-fall-in-births-reproductive-violence

Seems to be forgotten that Israel withdrew from the land. Hamas chose to run it into the ground and do the genocidal bidding of Iran.

Can you please explain the relevance of any of your points to
a) Israel blocking access to specialised maternity units blocked at the border by Israel for months?
b)the continued blocking of medical aid?
c) the banning of aid agencies who to date have provided crucial support to pregnant women?

D) the below
ttps://www.reuters.com/business/healthcare-pharmaceuticals/unicef-says-israel-blocking-one-million-syringes-needed-vaccinate-gaza-children-2025-11-11/
GENEVA, Nov 11 (Reuters) - UNICEF said on Tuesday essential items including syringes to vaccinate children and bottles for baby formula are being denied entry into Gaza by Israel, preventing aid agencies from reaching those in need in the war-devastated territory.

Building a larger picture of this incredibly complex situation? You’re blindly believing Israel are doing this. I’ll gladly write back once I’ve finished this school ironing and DS bath and supper.

Nothing incredibly complex about the weaponisation of aid,

it is a war crime to withhold aid from a civilian population all the more hideous when it is pregnant women being targeted and harmed

Not blindly believing reading multiple reports from credible independent agencies

yeah 🙄

You’re right that we lack imagination. We prefer to discuss facts.

There was famine in parts of Gaza. That was not a lie
https://www.who.int/news/item/22-08-2025-famine-confirmed-for-first-time-in-gaza

The famine lasted from 22 August 2025 to mid December 2025.

The fact they aren’t in official famine, doesn’t mean there is not starvation or malnutrition still happening.

One child a day is being killed in Gaza by IDF during this ‘ceasefire.´

And these aren’t child soldiers.

Seems to be forgotten that the withdrawal was immediately followed by a complete blockade by land, sea and air of everything and everyone who goes into or out of Gaza backed with lethal force against any Gazan man, woman or child approaching within 1km of the walls encircling Gaza.

Do you remember why 🤔

Any thoughts on the theme of the thread @SharonEllis ?

Just saying there was no self rule in Gaza by Palestinians. It was still a military occupation according to international law.

As an occupied territory it was Israel’s responsibility to prevent Hamas from taking control instead of giving them suitcases of cash and helping them take over Gaza by force by killing the Palestinian Authority leaders there.
Netanyahu did not want the same Palestinian body to be in charge of both the West Bank and Gaza. Divide and conquer.

As for child marriage, also Israel’s responsibility to enforce the law of consent with age 18 in the occupied territories of Gaza and West Bank. But then, they don’t really enforce it amongst the Haredi anyway where child marriage is still prevalent.

What escapes me is how you haven’t really made the connection that child brides, mean very young pregnant girls with high risk pregnancies. But you’re ok with maternity care being blocked from entering Gaza. Is it these girls fault they were raped and impregnated? Do you think they deserve to have no maternity care or access to a termination?

As for complexity around child marriage, you know the rate increases in times of food shortages which Gaza has had for 2.5yrs. Parents sell a daughter for bags of flour/rice and so on when they can’t feed all their children. It means they can feed the younger siblings also to ensure the daughter doesn’t starve to death too. It’s an act of desperation. This has been also going on in Afghanistan since the Taliban take over and illegal western sanctions stopping food aid to the country.

This is why blocking humanitarian aid is illegal. Because it is usually children who end up suffering the most. It causes horrible societal practices to emerge that are desperate acts of last resort to survive.

I have made no comment on any of this so why this essay is directed at me I have no idea. You have no idea what I am and am not 'ok with'.

Defending proscribed terrorist regimes isn’t a good look. Look at the Council on Foreign Relations cfr.org to learn who cares about women and children. I’m too tired to argue with an ill -informed stranger tonight.

Who is this reply directed to @Mistyglade

Perhaps you could show where posters are defending a proscribed terrorist regime because your entire argument seems to rely on criticizing Hamas (no argument from posters there) and ignoring all the ills from Israel.
Both can be in the wrong .

I looked at your website could you give a link to the actual page you are talking about because it is a huge website of global conflicts.

I really don't see this obsession with baby fprmula. Generations have reproduced without it and it is only necessary in the absence of lactation. If your body is so bereft of nutrition you cannot produce milk would that not be a consideration when first deciding to have a child?

Personally I don't believe the narrative of mass starvation though there may have been some food shortages as a consequence of the war. Sorry but this does point to forced reproduction by males with the women not having agency to prevent this.

You if you like.

Hamas have no respect for women, be it Islamic or the Jewish women they raped and captured in Israel.
1450 years ago Arabs used to bury their new-born girls alive. Women were treated as chattel to be bought and sold, and considered to have no soul. Fast-forward to today and countries and regimes that adhere to sharia law, be they in Saudi Arabia, or Iran, have metaphorically buried women alive again.

This view of women explains why Israeli women were seen and treated as objects, as property and as sub-human by the Hamas men who raped their way through various Israeli communities on October 7.
To them, ‘sin’ means they can be arrested for the smallest ‘misdemeanour’, wearing lipstick or nail polish. Their punishment can include being whipped, prisoned, raped, tortured and even killed. Some have disappeared, never to be seen again and there is no recourse to justice for these women.

Unsurprisingly, Hamas and Hezbollah as direct ideological exports of Iran, reflect the anti-women ideology of sacrificing their children which comes completely naturally to their extreme movements as per the dictated doctrine. Hamas force women in Gaza to obey a police enforced modesty conduct, their laws are based on a strict interpretation of Sharia which treats women as second-class citizens, such as in inheritance (receiving half the share of men) and divorce proceedings. There is no specific law in Gaza prohibiting violence against women within the family.

How much more do you need to know about Palestine’s rulers before you understand their stance on their women and children and their sacrificial evil of their own. I saw a report the IDG killed a Palestinian yesterday. This will always be a screamed headline about it. I’m not defending Israel’s continued use of force but if you think it’s all Israel going in on the poor displaced women and children of Palestine you’re very much mistaken. This is without doubt the most complex issue of unrest on the planet. Your understanding of it is painfully limited.

I’ve written pertaining to the original question in this threads’ title btw. Am going to sleep now after a blazing row with my ex who doesn’t appear to give a fuck about me or our son. Sorry if I’ve annoyed anyone. I’m feeling a bit vulnerable and defensive and become enraged when it comes to the treatment of women and children and the TRUE perpetrators. I really don’t to wake up to more arguing at me on here.

I think the treatment of women is really pertinent. We have all seen the conflict damage in Gaza and yet we are somehow meant to believe women were making a free choice to be pregnant rather than wait until a cessation of violence and a reconstruction of infrastructure within the strip.

Come on....many of these pregnancies truly weren't a free choice as most women would not consider bringing children into a warzone.

No one on this thread has expressed any Pro Hamas sentiment, most definitely I have not.
i have no idea what argument you are trying to make with your random points? 1,450 years ago????
are you attempting to justify Israel withholding aid from pregnant Palestinian women because what?

As before women are pregnant and in need of care, that is the situation, concentrating oddly on why women in a place where contraceptives were not reliably available are pregnant is both besides the point, reeks of victim blaming and is frankly deeply distasteful

Even more distasteful, jfc