Coronavirus brings more suffering to Gaza’s women
With the suspension of the Sharia courts’ work due to the confinement in the Gaza Strip, many Palestinian women have been struggling to get their rights to custody and alimony, while many have been separated from their children.
GAZA CITY, Gaza Strip — A state of emergency for 30 days was initially declared in the Palestinian territories March 5 as per a presidential decree, and was later extended until May 5 as part of measures to stem the outbreak of the novel coronavirus.
Consequently, on March 23, the Sharia courts across the Palestinian territories suspended their work in accordance with the decision of the Palestinian Authority’s (PA) Supreme Sharia Judge Mahmoud al-Habbash, which put off several sensitive cases, namely involving custody and women issues.
On the same day, the Palestinian Bar Association in the Gaza Strip announced that it was suspending work in all regular courts across Gaza.
“In light of the lockdown and suspension of legal procedures, women in the Gaza Strip have become even more vulnerable and unable to file lawsuits before the courts,” Iman Fatima, a lawyer from the AISHA Association for Women and Child Protection in Gaza, told Al-Monitor.
