UN Women warns of heavy toll on women, girls in Middle East escalation

UN Women warned Friday that escalating conflict across parts of the Middle East, including Iran and Lebanon, is exacting a growing humanitarian toll on women and girls, with rising deaths, displacement and food insecurity reported across multiple countries.

UN Women Geneva Office director Sofia Calltorp told reporters in Geneva that the agency "echoes the (UN) secretary-general’s welcome of the announcement of a two-week ceasefire by the United States and Iran" while also expressing “alarm at the wave of Israeli strikes across Lebanon.”

She said reports indicate that hundreds of people have been killed and injured this week alone, including women and girls.

Highlighting the scale of the violence since the early phase of the escalation, Calltorp noted that 168 girls were reportedly killed when a strike hit their primary school in Minab, Iran on Feb. 28, adding that "hundreds more women and girls have reportedly been killed across the region" since then.

According to Calltorp, 204 women were reportedly killed in Iran, while in Lebanon 102 women were reportedly killed prior to the intense bombardment on April 8, citing national health authorities. Women and girls have also reportedly been killed in Bahrain, Iraq, Israel, Kuwait, the occupied Palestinian territory and the United Arab Emirates, she added.

Calltorp stressed that millions have been displaced, including "an estimated up to 1.6 million in Iran and 620,000 in Lebanon," exposing them to heightened risks and cutting off access to healthcare, protection and livelihoods.

She warned that "women and girls are facing deepening food insecurity driven by price volatility, disrupted supply chains and declining purchasing power,” while damage to civilian infrastructure is limiting access to safe shelter, water and essential services.

Even before the latest escalation, an estimated 50,000 pregnant women in Gaza and 70,000 in Lebanon required maternal health services, many already facing significant barriers to adequate care, she said, warning that damage to hospitals and health systems will further constrain access to life-saving and essential services.

She underscored that food insecurity is becoming increasingly urgent, with 24 million women and girls across affected countries, including Syria, Yemen, Lebanon, the occupied Palestinian territory and Iraq, facing worsening conditions driven by price volatility, disrupted supply chains and declining purchasing power.

In Gaza alone, nearly 790,000 women and girls are experiencing crisis-level or worse food insecurity, she noted.

Calltorp also highlighted risks facing women’s organizations, saying they are operating under “shrinking civic space, escalating security risks, and severe funding gaps.”

UN Women "continues its calls for a lasting and just peace in the region - one that upholds the rights, safety and dignity of all women and girls across the region," she said.