Gender-based violence surges among women and girls in Gaza refugee camps
UNFPA reports a sharp rise in rape, assault, exploitation and forced marriage affecting women and girls living in Gaza's overcrowded refugee camps.
UNFPA’s latest assessments reveal a marked escalation in gender-based crimes—including rape, sexual assault, exploitation, domestic violence and coerced marriage—within Gaza’s refugee camps, rising by over a quarter in the last two quarters. Overcrowding, limited access to basic supplies and the collapse of policing and social services create an environment where abuse spreads rapidly. Interviews with 230 women aged 19 to 63 from camps in Gaza City and Khan Younis highlight how scarcity forces many into transactional sex for food or medicine, and how some families resort to child marriage as a survival strategy.
Reports also document cases of forced marriage following rape and dangerous obstetric conditions for pregnant survivors. Additionally, allegations of aid workers demanding sexual favors in exchange for assistance have emerged, though organizations such as the Red Cross and Care deny knowledge of such misconduct.
Why it matters
The surge in gender-based violence threatens the safety and health of millions of displaced women and girls in Gaza.
How this story developed
- Sep 1 EU debates ban on settlement products as Israeli forces raze West Bank homes
- Sep 18 The UN rights office issued a warning that the displacement of over 33,000 refugees from West Bank camps may amount to crimes against humanity.
- Sep 23 A man in his forties was seriously wounded when a vehicle rammed a police car at a checkpoint near Modi'in on the road to the West Bank.
- Sep 23 The checkpoint’s security personnel have been reinforced and an investigation launched.
- Sep 28 A six‑storey apartment block collapsed, killing 21 people and prompting a lengthy rescue effort.
- Sep 28 Ed Miliband told the Labour conference that the UK will act on Palestine, backing sanctions on Israeli settlements and supporting a two-state solution.
- Sep 29 Three teenagers were arrested in connection with the raid.
- Oct 3 Miliband pledged comprehensive sanctions and a ban on imports and services that support Israeli settlements.
- Oct 5 Labour MP Emily Thornberry called on Britain to defy Israel’s directive to close its consulate in East Jerusalem, calling the move illegal retaliation.
- Oct 6 Powell’s talks concluded without an agreement before the 30‑day deadline.
- Oct 8 Consular staff removed the plaque and signage after the closure deadline passed.
- Oct 10 Israeli forces issued new evacuation orders for multiple Gaza neighborhoods.
- Oct 10 The consulate was officially renamed the UK Mission, Jerusalem and its staff was reduced to seven.
- Oct 12 A Gaza resident died of liver cancer after prolonged delays in medical evacuation.
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