Written by: Rawan Abu Ghaza, a Palestinian Lawyer and Legal Researcher
Women in Gaza have never encountered such a degree of daily challenges. CARE International indicated that women are often the last to eat and their children are the first to die. Even if women manage to survive, the weight of family responsibilities on their shoulders is overwhelming, with no clear end in sight. They endure long hours in crowded queues just to secure water, food, and gas.
Women and girls are facing a catastrophic situation, with over 11,450 women killed, while thousands are reported missing, according to estimates from the United Nations. Over a million displaced women are enduring perilous conditions, including starvation, loss, and a lack of access to healthcare and essential supplies. Many have lost their primary breadwinner or their source of income.
A recent survey conducted by The Palestinian Association for Empowerment and Local Development—REFORM in Deir al-Balah, Rafah, and Beit Lahia, which included a sample of 382 women across these areas, found that the crimes perpetrated since October 7, and their continued occurrence, have stripped women and girls of stability and security, intensifying the prevalence of gender-based violence. Regarding gender-based violence, 68% of women reported experiencing physical abuse, with 33% citing family members as the perpetrators and 25% indicating that the violence came from individuals outside their family. Conversely, 78% of women reported losing their source of income due to the war. In addition, a staggering 95% of displaced women in Rafah lack sufficient funds to meet their basic needs.
The survey also indicated that 30% of women encounter difficulties in accessing humanitarian aid, primarily due to the perception that men are the primary breadwinners entitled to assistance. There is also a lack of awareness about distribution locations and overcrowded aid sites, often dominated by men, puts women at risk of various forms of violence.
On the other hand, 72.4% of respondents reported facing risks when trying to access water, while 88% of those surveyed experience restricted access to toilets due to several factors, including lack of privacy, overcrowding at facilities, and the loss of healthcare services. In terms of food access, 85.3% of women reported that the food they receive is not nutritious and is sometimes spoiled. They also face rising food prices and a significant shortage of essential fresh nutrients, including vegetables and calcium sources like eggs.
In terms of their right to education, many high school girls have missed their final exams, and 13% of university students have been unable to complete their studies, jeopardizing the educational futures of an entire generation due to the destruction of all universities in the Gaza Strip.
Additionally, essential needs for women in Gaza include meeting basic necessities, providing sustainable mental health care, and rebuilding homes. It is also crucial to enhance educational opportunities and activate mobile health clinics. Establishing a national observatory to monitor cases of gender-based violence is vital for advocating laws that condemn violence while addressing the psychological needs of families affected by the consequences of the ongoing aggression. Women urgently require an immediate humanitarian ceasefire in Gaza.
It is also essential to strengthen the role of civil society organizations, particularly those focused on women's issues, in collaboration with international agencies and United Nations organizations. This will ensure that gender-related concerns are comprehensively addressed in all humanitarian relief efforts.
From a hopeful perspective, women, as they often do, are creating alternatives and solutions in light of adversity. For instance, Rawiya, who once owned a bakery specializing in decorated cakes and employed several workers, lost her shop entirely due to the ongoing aggression. Undeterred, she found a way to continue her business from her tent, using limited resources to bake cakes in a mud oven and sell them.
Another woman, formerly the manager of a luxurious hotel, saw her workplace reduced to ashes. In response, she pivoted to selling baked goods to support her children. Meanwhile, 18-year-old Amal, who lost her father, the family's breadwinner, began collecting and washing clothes from her neighbors in the camp to help her family. These resilient women and girls are enduring the horrors of the ongoing aggression. Their stories of survival and strength deserve to be told.