A recent report from UN Women paints a harrowing picture of life for women in the Gaza Strip — living under inhuman conditions, with almost nothing beyond their own courage and tired hands to protect their families. The world must not turn away from Gaza’s humanitarian crisis, even for a single day.
The Reality Behind the Images
After her recent visit to Gaza — from Jabalia in the north to Al‑Mawasi in the south — Sofia Calltorp, UN Women’s Chief of Humanitarian Action, emphasized that what appears in photographs barely scratches the surface of the true suffering. Entire neighborhoods have been reduced to rubble; streets that once led to homes now only lead to ruins. Across shelter-turned schools, makeshift tents and destroyed homes, she met hundreds of women living in constant fear, insecurity, and deprivation.
To be a woman in Gaza today, she said, “means to face hunger and fear, bear trauma and grief, protect your children from bullets, cold nights and the winter to come.” For many, it means being the last line of defence where no safety remains.
Women: The Last Line of Protection for Their Families
According to UN Women, more than 57,000 households in Gaza are now headed by women — many widowed or separated, left alone to keep their families alive in near-hopeless circumstances.
Calltorp recounted meeting women who showed her how rainwater seeps into their flimsy tents, leaving children shivering at night — a terrifying reality given the coming winter. For many, having enough for a meal is already a struggle; heating and shelter against cold rains are nearly impossible.
One woman told her of how, after her home was destroyed, she returns daily among the rubbish, gathering wooden scraps from the remains of doors to light a fire and prepare a meagre breakfast for her children. For countless others, every day is a struggle between “death or survival.”
Escalating Hardships: Displacement, Food Crisis, Winter Looms
Despite a ceasefire, the war in Gaza is far from over. Many families have been forced to flee their homes repeatedly — in some cases, as many as 35 times since the war began in October 2023. Every displacement meant carrying their children and elderly relatives away with few belongings, choosing between one unsafe place and another.
Food remains scarce and unaffordable. According to UN Women, basic items are now up to four times costlier than before the war: an example given was that a single egg sells for around 2 US dollars — a price beyond the reach of many women without any income.
Meanwhile, the destruction of infrastructure — homes, hospitals, sanitation — continues to deepen the crisis. Over 1.9 million people have been displaced at least once; basic services from healthcare to hygiene have collapsed; shelters are overcrowded and inadequate.
Recent heavy rains have flooded vulnerable camps and tents across Gaza — turning them into dangerous shelters rather than safe havens. Many of the makeshift homes could not withstand the weather, leaving families exposed to cold, disease and despair as winter approaches.
Amid Despair — Women Still Hope for Help and Rebuilding
Despite unimaginable suffering, Gaza’s women continue to show extraordinary resilience and hope. The UN delegation reports that many women expressed their desire to work, to lead, and to rebuild Gaza with their own hands. They call for the ceasefire to hold, for immediate humanitarian aid — including food, cash assistance, winter supplies, medical and mental-health care — and for the restoration of dignity, rights, and access to education.
As Calltorp concluded in Geneva: being a woman in Gaza today means standing between life and death, with nothing but courage and exhausted hands. If that is what it means, then the world must act — no woman or girl should ever have to fight so hard just to survive.
From: UN Women
