A group of independent human rights experts urged the UN Security Council Wednesday to reaffirm its commitments to the Women, Peace and Security Agenda and to take immediate action on what they described as an “unprecedented assault on civilians” in Gaza. The experts emphasized that women and girls in Gaza have born the brunt of the ongoing hostilities in the region, while reiterating calls for a permanent ceasefire.

The Women, Peace and Security Agenda affirms the importance of women’s protection and participation during and after armed conflict and was established through a landmark security council resolution in 2000. The agenda is rooted in UN Security Council Resolution 1325 and a series of subsequent resolutions.

The experts highlighted the gravity of the current situation, saying:

The destruction of civilian infrastructure and profound suffering inflicted on women and girls demands immediate and sustained action by the Security Council, The devastation experienced by women, girls, and entire communities is not incidental—it is the consequence of intentional policies and actions by Israel. The killings of thousands of women and girls may constitute the deliberate infliction of conditions of life calculated to bring about the physical destruction, in whole or in part, of the Palestinian people.

Earlier this week, several UN human rights experts condemned the repeated attacks on UN Relief and Works Agency schools by the Israeli occupation forces in the Gaza strip and East Jerusalem. Human Rights Watch recently warned that Israel’s new war plan in Gaza may amount to “extermination” and urged the international community to act to prevent further atrocities. Similarly, UN human rights experts recently called upon the international community to act immediately to end the intensifying violence in Gaza.