The impact of the devastating Gaza war on young women is being highlighted by humanitarian workers.
Aid agency staff say that adolescent female Palestinians face overwhelming challenges, many grappling with trauma, displacement, and a critical need for psycho-social support to try and cope with the emotional toll of the conflict.
The near total lack of sanitary products, hygiene facilities and clean water in the enclave have all heightened the risk of infections, with widespread malnutrition and inadequate access to healthcare increasing sickness and disease.
A United Nations report entitled ‘Shattered Lives and Dreams: the toll of the war on Gaza on young people’ particularly focused on how female teenagers are coping with the trauma.
‘Our whole life became a tragedy,’ 15-year-old Mariam (name changed) told observers from UNFPA, the UN reproductive health agency.
‘The lack of medicine, poor food, contaminated water – and we were displaced from one place to another, living in tents.’
Israel’s bombardment has devastated communities, forced families from their homes multiple times, and worn down the mental health and well-being of nearly everyone – especially young people like Mariam, who is currently living in Gaza City.
Half of Gaza’s young people feel unsafe
The UN say that since the start of the war more than half of Gaza’s young people feel unsafe, and 91 per cent reported worsening health conditions.
‘I loved studying and going out, but when the war came my life changed,’ said Fatima (name changed), aged 14. ‘In the tent, the whole day is spent working, cleaning, and preparing food. Everything is exhausting.’
The psychological fallout of the war has led to soaring cases of severe anxiety, depression and post-traumatic stress disorder, the report shows.
‘We were displaced almost nine times and lost family members. There is no safety, and we live in constant fear of losing more. It’s the psychological toll – the constant fear and hopelessness – that is the hardest to bear’
18-year-old Sara (name changed)
At the age of 19, Nour (name changed) has lost her entire family to the conflict.
‘I’m the only survivor,’ she said. ‘I went through very difficult and harsh days, with extreme circumstances. I was injured and not allowed to travel for treatment.’
Many girls report that their terror is stopping them from sleeping, a situation they are accepting as their new normal.
‘We were displaced almost nine times and lost family members. There is no safety, and we live in constant fear of losing more,’ said 18-year-old Sara (name changed). ‘It’s the psychological toll – the constant fear and hopelessness – that is the hardest to bear.’
The report also found that nearly three quarters of girls in Gaza cannot access sanitary products, and 71 per cent report increased pressure to marry before they turn 18, as a means to help their family cope financially.
Before the war, Gaza had high literacy and school attendance rates, but with almost all school buildings now demolished or damaged and hundreds of teachers killed, Gaza’s young people face an even steeper uphill struggle to secure their future.
Programmes led by UNFPA in partnership with local NGO Save Youth Future Society (SYFS) and the Sharek Youth Forum are currently attempting to address these issues.
The agencies also works with volunteers who have set up temporary educational and life skills learning spaces for young people, and delivers awareness campaigns, adolescent hygiene kits, recreational activities and sport programmes to help them regain a sense of normality.
In 2025, UNFPA plans to set up multi-purpose youth centres and girls’ tents throughout the Gaza Strip, offering integrated mental health interventions in youth programming, education, and essential resources like menstrual hygiene products, alongside protection against harmful practices, including early marriage.
