New York, Sept. 9 (SANA) Nearly one in four households in the Gaza Strip is now headed by a woman, as deaths, injuries, arrests, enforced disappearances and unresolved fates have left thousands of women solely responsible for their families, UN Women said.
In a report released Tuesday and cited by the UN News Centre, the agency estimated that 86,290 households in Gaza are currently headed by women, roughly double the rate recorded before October 2023.
Women-headed households face greater hardship
UN Women said women-headed households face greater difficulties in securing adequate shelter, food and financial resources.
Nearly seven in 10, or 68%, lack adequate shelter, compared with 55% of male-headed households, while 74% reported that their homes had been damaged or destroyed, compared with 67%. Women-headed households have also been displaced an average of eight times since October 2023, compared with seven times for those headed by men.
Two-thirds, or 67%, of women-headed households urgently need cash for daily survival, while 19% reported safety and protection concerns, compared with 8% of women living in male-headed households.
Sofia Calltorp, UN Women’s Chief of Humanitarian Action, told reporters that the agency had encountered “a staggering level of collective pain” in its conversations with women in Gaza.
With access to food, drinking water, hygiene supplies and essential services severely limited amid insecurity, continued Israeli bombardment and restrictions on humanitarian access, Calltorp said women heading households face “impossible decisions” over how to allocate scarce resources, obtain assistance and ensure the survival of those in their care.
Many are also coping with the loss of husbands and fathers of their children while assuming full responsibility for protecting and providing for their families, she said.
Six women and girls killed each week since ceasefire
Despite the ceasefire agreement, Israeli airstrikes and ground operations have continued to kill Palestinians in Gaza, including women and girls, according to UN Women.
Gaza health authorities cited by the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) reported 1,303 fatalities and 4,336 injuries since the ceasefire, while UN Women said 246 Palestinian women and girls were among those killed.
Calltorp said this amounted to six women and girls killed each week between October 2025 and July 28, 2026.
Among the victims was 18-year-old Raghad Ashour, who was killed in an Israeli airstrike while on her way to take her 11th-grade high school examination in Gaza City. Calltorp also cited a six-year-old girl killed in a helicopter strike on an encampment for displaced families in the Al-Mawasi area of Khan Younis.
Calltorp called for full implementation of the ceasefire, compliance with international law, accountability for violations and the unhindered delivery of humanitarian assistance at scale, stressing that the needs of women and girls must be central to relief and recovery efforts.
Displacement and access restrictions deepen crisis
Most of Gaza’s population of around 2.1 million remains displaced and confined to less than 40% of the territory amid the Israeli war of genocide on the Gaza Strip.
OCHA estimates that 58% of Gaza’s population faces critical or catastrophic shelter needs. Israeli occupation authorities continue to restrict access to areas beyond the so-called “Yellow” and “Orange” lines. OCHA said the Yellow Line initially covered around 53% of the Gaza Strip following the ceasefire, while subsequent restrictions have left around two-thirds of Gaza either inaccessible or subject to severe access constraints.
R.D/MF
