The situation in the Gaza Strip is alarming. Despite socalled ceasefire efforts, the escalation of conflict shows no sign of abating. Women and children account for a disproportionate share of fatalities and face extreme vulnerability. Recurrent displacement, starvation, and the collapse of medical care have come to define their daily existence. The humanitarian crisis—unprecedented in scale and magnitude—has left thousands of women and children homeless, forcing them to seek refuge in schools, hospitals, or UN shelters. The impact on their health, safety, and overall wellbeing has been devastating.

Israeli bombardment and ground operations have systematically destroyed shelters. The UNFPA has revealed that an estimated 50,000 pregnant women—more than 5,000 of whom are expected to give birth within the next month—are cut off from safe delivery services as hospitals come under attack and the health system unravels. Lifesaving medicines, fuel, and electricity are running dangerously low. In the West Bank, around 73,000 women are currently pregnant, with over 8,000 expected to deliver in the coming month, as violence threatens to spill over into their communities.

Against this backdrop, the recent inquiry report by Justice Srinivasan Muralidhar assumes particular salience. Justice Muralidhar, an Indian judge, chairs the UN Independent International Commission of Inquiry on the Occupied Palestinian Territory, including East Jerusalem, and Israel. He has submitted the Commission’s report covering the period from 7 October 2023 to 31 March 2026. In this investigation, he documents the........

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