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ENOUGH IS ENOUGH! Nearly a year into targeted, reproductive violence against Palestinian women and girls, and the bombing of our reproductive health site in Gaza; IPPF readies itself for a fresh wave of attacks against its health workers and clinics in Lebanon.  "Our healthcare workers in Lebanon are under attack. 70% of them are women. The facilities where women come and access life-saving reproductive services have already been destroyed in Gaza. Now the world is forced to watch another horrific spectacle of the same war crimes being committed in Lebanon.” “We demand all governments - including the U.S., Germany, UK and others - that are supplying these weapons that kill, maim and displace our fellow healthcare workers to stop. We demand an end to the killing of ALL civilians; we will not be silenced, we will continue to collect evidence and talk about these crimes against our collective humanity,” said Dr. Alvaro Bermejo, Director General, International Planned Parenthood Federation.  Israel's indiscriminate attacks on Gaza have had devastating consequences for women's reproductive health. The attacks on our own health site, on hospitals and maternal health sites significantly limited access to care. We are experiencing this in Sudan too; clinics destroyed, men’s use of violence against our health workers, and rape used as a weapon of war.   In Palestine, obstetric and reproductive violence have been evidenced as a feature of Israel’s violence; we are urgently ringing all alarm bells before these crimes are repeated against women and girls in Lebanon.  “Our staff are terrified; they are running for their lives. Contact with our team is limited - health care workers are too scared to use their phones. We fear not just for our colleagues; but for every single woman and girl. Once again, the very essence of humanity is at stake, as though women, children, and all human beings are merely numbers,” said Lina Sabra, Executive Director of IPPF Member Association in Lebanon, SALAMA. Lebanon is experiencing its deadliest days since the country’s civil war ended in 1990. The acceleration in killing over the past few days amid the escalation between Israel and Hezbollah is only made possible by powerful countries with a vested interest in the continuation of this war.  We remind all parties that acts of obstetric and reproductive violence have been prosecuted as crimes against humanity.

Jerusalem, 9 July 2024: Nine months on since the start of the Israeli aggression in Gaza, maternal healthcare is almost decimated. Pregnant, postpartum, and breastfeeding women in Gaza are facing serious health consequences. Miscarriages have risen at least 300% since October last year. One of our own health workers from the Palestinian Family Planning and Protection Association (PFPPA) recently lost her pregnancy due to the stress of the attacks.   “I am a healthcare worker with PFPPA, and I have been forced to flee not once, not twice, but six times since the start of the violence, with my husband and three small children. Our home was destroyed by bombing. Whilst I was fleeing from one location to another, I started to unexpectedly bleed. I was able to find a doctor only after reaching Rafah, who confirmed I was miscarrying. I didn’t even realise I was pregnant,” Wafa, our healthcare worker in Gaza, told us.   With the starvation being faced by the people in Gaza in addition to the lack of drinking water, our service providers are reporting on daily basis of pregnant women suffering from anaemia, malnutrition and in desperate need of prenatal vitamins and supplements.   Our service providers in Gaza are also witnessing many women who are either having premature deliveries or miscarriages. Women of newborns are unable to breastfeed their babies due their own malnutrition and anxiety, while at the same time most families cannot afford milk formula as prices are becoming extremely high - and that is if they can find it in the market. When medical facilities are available, many women are unwilling to leave their shelters to obtain pre- and post-natal care, as they worry if they are separated from their families there will be military attacks and bombings and fear for their and their loved one's fate if they do so.   Ammal Awadallah, Executive Director of PFPPA, said:  “Nine months on, and a woman who conceived at the start of these hostilities will now be giving birth. But where, how, and what life is that baby entering? This will be a lost generation in Gaza, a generation born into genocide. We’re doing the best we can to offer support to women in Gaza, but the conditions to get aid into Gaza, let alone warehouse supplies, make our jobs extremely difficult. PFPPA has always been committed to women’s health and that doesn’t stop, now or ever.”   Over 37,900 people have now lost their lives in Gaza. Women and girls that survive are facing a myriad of challenges; deprived of sexual and reproductive health services, sanitary and hygiene products. We believe every single person and organisation needs to mobilise to end this, by calling on their governments to demand unhindered humanitarian aid access, to demand a permanent ceasefire, and divest from any organisations aiding and abetting Israel’s military campaign against Palestine.   We are working in close collaboration with colleagues in Palestine on how best to serve those caught up in the violence, to ensure health workers are safe and able to provide sexual and reproductive health care without threat to life.   For more information and to speak to our Executive Director in Palestine, please email [email protected]     About the Palestinian Family Planning and Protection Association  Established in Jerusalem in 1964, the Palestinian Family Planning and Protection Association (PFPPA) is locally registered as an independent, non-profit and non-governmental association with headquarters in Jerusalem. PFPPA has service delivery points located in the West Bank Areas of Ramallah, Bethlehem, Hebron and Halhoul, in addition to one in the Gaza Strip, which has yet to be relocated after it was destroyed following an Israeli airstrike on 8 October. Furthermore, and in cooperation with local partners, PFPPA is also responsible for three safe spaces to provide Gender Based Violence (GBV) related services in the Jerusalem area.  About the International Planned Parenthood Federation  IPPF is a global healthcare provider and a leading advocate of sexual and reproductive health and rights (SRHR) for all. Led by a courageous and determined group of women, IPPF was founded in 1952 at the Third International Planned Parenthood Conference. Today, we are a movement of 150 Member Associations and Collaborative Partners with a presence in over 146 countries.  Our work is wide-ranging, including comprehensive sex education, provision of contraceptive, safe abortion, and maternal care and responding to humanitarian crises. We pride ourselves on being local through our members and global through our network. At the heart of our mission is the provision of – and advocacy in support of – integrated healthcare to anyone who needs it regardless of race, gender, sex, income, and crucially no matter how remote.   

Another horrendous attack by Israel on displacement camps in Rafah, Gaza, has occurred this week, ignoring the orders of the UN’s top court, the International Court of Justice (ICJ), to halt its offensive. Thousands of innocent people are sheltering for their lives in this area, having been told to move there for their safety by Israeli authorities. Instead, they were attacked as they slept, with men, women and children facing nightmarish deaths.    The deaths, displacement and destruction in Gaza must stop. We stand in support of Palestinians who have endured decades of apartheid, land dispossession, and gross human rights violations. The injustices faced by Palestinians are deeply rooted in colonialisation and lack of accountability. Our international systems, which were created to ensure international rule of war, must apply evenly to all member states – including those in the Global North.    Over 37,000 people have now lost their lives. Women and girls that survive are facing a myriad of challenges, deprived of sexual and reproductive health services, sanitary and hygiene products. There must now finally be a critical mass of people of conscience saying enough is enough. Every single person needs to mobilise to end this, by calling on their governments to demand unhindered humanitarian aid access, and to call to trial any governments who have supplied weapons to Israel, aided in Israel’s impunity, and failed to call for a ceasefire.   We call for an immediate end to Israel’s military offensive in Rafah and the ongoing atrocities across the Gaza Strip.   Ammal Awadallah, Executive Director of the Palestinian Family Planning and Protection Association, said:   “Every second, every minute that passes a horrific and devastating situation becomes worse. More and more people are being killed and seriously injured. Pregnant women are fearing the worse for their own fate and that of their pregnancies, what should be a happy time for expecting mothers has become for thousands a living nightmare.   Women and girls are living in a state of anxiety and trauma of getting their period and not having access to menstrual pads, clean water or any sort of hygiene supplies. We need all people and governments to take a stand for what is right for humanity recognizing that the Palestinian people have a right to live with dignity and respect with full access to safe and sufficient health care. There is no justification, that this tragedy continues for millions of Palestinians in Gaza. An immediate and full ceasefire is the only option.”  Dr Alvaro Bermejo, Director-General of IPPF, said:    “In Rafah, nearly all hospitals in Rafah have been forcibly evacuated, and are either out of service or barely functioning, leaving no possibility for the provision of or access to medical care for pregnant women about to give birth.    We are inspired by our health workers in Gaza, who continue to provide sexual and repreoductive healthcare to those in need, but our concern for them, and all Palestinians, will not stop until a permanent ceasefire is reached.    All our humanity is on trial right now. Our organisation is committed to anti-colonialism, anti-racism, and liberation for all, we will speak out in defence of civilians facing peril every day. Silence is not an option.”   For media enquiries, or to speak to our staff member in Palestine, please contact [email protected] Click here to donate to IPPF's emergency appeal for Palestine. About PFPPA Established in Jerusalem in 1964, the Palestinian Family Planning and Protection Association (PFPPA) is locally registered as an independent, non-profit and non-governmental association with headquarters in Jerusalem. PFPPA has service delivery points located in the West Bank Areas of Ramallah, Bethlehem, Hebron and Halhoul, in addition to one in the Gaza Strip, which has yet to be relocated after it was destroyed following an Israeli airstrike on 8 October. Furthermore, and in cooperation with local partners, PFPPA is also responsible for 3 safe spaces to provide Gender Based Violence (GBV) related services in the Jerusalem area. About the International Planned Parenthood Federation IPPF, through its 149 Member Associations and collaborative partners, delivers high-quality sexual and reproductive healthcare and helps advance sexual and reproductive rights, especially for marginalized people with diverse needs that are currently unmet. IPPF's Member Associations and partners are locally owned, independent organisations, which means the support and care they provide are informed by local expertise and context. IPPF advocates for a world where people have the information they need to make informed decisions about their sexual and reproductive health and their bodies. We stand up and fight for sexual and reproductive rights and against those who seek to deny people their human right to bodily autonomy and sexual and reproductive freedom. We deliver care rooted in rights, respect, and dignity for all - no matter what.   Photo credit: IPPF/Samar Abu Elouf/Palestine