UN finds sharp rise in violence against women and girls in Gaza

The United Nations Population Fund says reports of violence against women and girls in the Gaza Strip have risen sharply, including cases of early and forced marriage. The agency says the trend is linked to the prolonged war, repeated displacement and the collapse of normal social protections. Testimony gathered from women in Gaza City and Khan Younis describes abuse in shelters and marriage arrangements made under extreme pressure.

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One report cited data collected by 10 organisations and said the crisis in Gaza has created conditions in which women and girls face escalating risks of gender-based violence. It said there had been a severe escalation in early and forced marriage incidents in the second quarter of this year. According to the agency, reported cases of early and forced marriage rose by 123% in the second quarter compared with the first quarter.

The report defines early marriage as involving girls aged 12 to 17. The testimony collected from 230 women in crowded displacement camps gives a more personal picture of the crisis. One displaced woman in a school-turned-shelter said rape victims are sometimes married to their attackers to avoid shame and scandal.

Another woman said a father married off his 14-year-old daughter in exchange for two bags of flour so the family could eat. Six women in different camps described similar exchanges, which they said would have been unthinkable before the war began in 2023. The findings matter because they point to a worsening protection crisis inside a territory already facing mass displacement, hunger and widespread destruction.

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The agency said nearly all of Gaza's more than two million residents have been driven from their homes. It also said that while food markets have reopened, many people cannot afford the goods on sale and remain dependent on charitable handouts. In that setting, the report suggests that poverty and insecurity are helping drive harmful coping strategies, including child marriage.

The reports also highlight how the war has affected social structures and access to protection. Nestor Owomuhangi, the agency's representative to Palestine, said the extreme circumstances of the past three years had eroded social systems and left "no system" in place. His comments underline the scale of the breakdown described in the reports, which link gender-based violence not only to direct abuse but also to the pressures created by displacement, hunger and the loss of community support.

The Gaza Strip has seen repeated waves of displacement since the conflict between Israel and Hamas began in 2023. The latest findings add to a wider body of humanitarian reporting that has focused on the effects of war on civilians, especially women and children. They also show how aid shortages and economic collapse can alter family decisions in ways that carry long-term consequences for girls' safety, health and education.

What remains unclear is the full scale of the abuse, because the agency said collecting data in Gaza is difficult. The reports rely on testimony and on information gathered by partner organisations rather than a complete count of cases. The next question is whether conditions on the ground improve enough to reduce the pressure on families and lower the risk of further early and forced marriages.

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For now, the agency's findings point to a continuing protection emergency for women and girls in Gaza.

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