UNFPA reports increased violence risks for women in Gaza — Jerusalem Post

In the Gaza Strip in Palestine, war conditions, mass displacement and shortages of basic resources have increased the risks of gender-based violence against women and girls, the UN Population Fund (UNFPA) said. The Jerusalem Post reported on the findings of the report on September 22.

Data from discussions with displaced women

UNFPA's findings are based on information obtained during group discussions involving 230 displaced adult women. The meetings were conducted by the Women's Centre from December 2025 to January 2026.

The report says that the destruction of infrastructure and disruptions to health, education and legal services have limited women’s and girls’ access to protection and necessary services. UNFPA also noted that overcrowded and unsafe living conditions in camps for displaced persons are linked to increased reports of sexual harassment, domestic violence, assaults and rape.

The Fund stressed that participants in the group discussions may not have reported violence committed by armed groups. Therefore, the results cannot be interpreted as an indicator of the prevalence or absence of such violence by Palestinian armed actors.

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Resource shortages and lack of privacy

According to UNFPA, shortages of food and other essential items create economic vulnerability that may be exploited for sexual exploitation, economic violence, survival sex, early and forced marriages. Some discussion participants said that families marry girls off at an early age because they are unable to provide for their needs.

The report identified the lack of doors, lighting and privacy in camps as a separate problem. Inadequately equipped toilets and sanitation areas, including isolated locations and the absence of separate spaces for women, increase the physical vulnerability of women and girls, according to UNFPA.

Violence existed before the war

The report also states that Palestinian women and girls faced significant risks of gender-based violence even before the war because of social norms that restrict their autonomy and freedom of movement. According to a 2019 UNFPA survey, nearly two-thirds of married women in Gaza experienced domestic violence.