Mariam* has been working with us to document the deteriorating situation in Gaza. While living through the horrors of war herself, she dares to lift the stories of other Palestinian women.
Let us all bear witness to her bravery.
Palestine
Working with local Women’s Rights Organizations (WROs) to serve marginalized women who face violence, instability, food insecurity, and unemployment in the region.
The conflict between Israel and Palestine has spanned decades but the attacks by Hamas on October 7, 2023 and the subsequent bombardment and siege of Gaza by Israel have led to a new and deadly chapter in this war, which has spread to Lebanon, Yemen and has dire repercussions for the wider region.
With over 44,000 people killed and nearly nine in ten Gazans displaced at least once and many displaced multiple times, this conflict is taking a catastrophic toll on women and girls, an increasing number of whom are having to bear the sole responsibility to feed, protect, and provide for their families.
Around 1.9 million people—85% of Gaza’s population—are now displaced, including nearly 1 million women and girls. These families face acute shortages of food, water, and safe shelter as Gaza’s infrastructure is extensively damaged. For vulnerable groups such as pregnant and breastfeeding women, the lack of medical aid is critical, with maternity facilities severely compromised as resources are scarce and fuel shortages disrupt essential services.
We mourn all the lives lost, and we fear for the safety of those displaced or held captive. Just as we’ve seen in other conflicts, we’ve witnessed the weaponization of sexual violence to shame women and communities as well as being used as a justification for more violence and retaliation, with devastating consequences.
Women for Women International unequivocally condemns the use of rape, torture, collective punishment, weaponization of aid, and the abduction of civilians as crimes against humanity, no matter what side of any conflict.
Our hearts go out to the survivors and the families of the victims who are going through unbearable suffering and trauma.
We are prioritizing funding to meet women’s urgent needs in Gaza and in the West Bank, where violence is also on the rise.
Adapting to Meet the Urgent Needs of Women in Gaza:
To address the urgent humanitarian needs of women in Gaza, we are working with Wefaq Society for Women and Child Care, a local women’s organization, and who have managed to remain operational, even in this deadly and unstable environment. Through them, we are providing:
- Hot meals from community kitchen
- Winter clothes and shoes
- Blankets and mattresses
- Hygiene kits, and other essential items like menstrual supplies, milk, diapers for babies and food vouchers
- Hotlines for trauma informed counseling
Since 1996, Wefaq has been serving women, children, and youth survivors of violence with psychological, fiscal, legal, and health assistance. Since 2023, they have shifted to emergency humanitarian response for displaced families from east of the Rafah Governorate and the northern Gaza Strip to the shelters in southern Gaza Strip.
“Women’s needs are extensively high everywhere, but especially in the unorganized refugee areas that are outside of official shelter areas. There are groups of tents in the streets, or just homeless without shelter. The more we evaluate areas, we find out that in some of these areas there are no community kitchens, there is nothing. People there are fully dependent on the availability of canned foods, which is leading to malnutrition in children, women, and especially pregnant and nursing women."
– Buthaina, Wefaq Executive Director
Through our partnership with Wefaq, thousands of women and children have already been given shelter, warm clothing, hygiene kits, food, and water, but thousands more are in desperate need.
We are prioritizing women-headed households, elderly women, pregnant or lactating women, and those who care for multiple dependents including those with disabilities.
- Displaced families need shelter
- Women living in tents need blankets and mattresses
- Children need warm clothes and shoes as they face harsh winter weather
- Families need enough food and clean water to survive
Supporting Women in the West Bank:
In the West Bank we have been working with five WROs (Family Defense Society, Sawa – Together Today and Tomorrow, Jerusalem Centre for Women, Women Activities Association and Askar Women's Centre) since 2022 to support women who face violence, food insecurity and unemployment in an area of prolonged conflict. With the increasing settler violence, raids and restrictions to people’s movements, women and their families have limited access to health and medical facilities, clean water and essential food items. So, we’ve pivoted to meet their urgent needs by providing food vouchers, trauma-informed counseling via hotlines, hygiene kits, and other essential items like menstrual supplies, milk and diapers for babies.
“Due to the ongoing closures, my husband is unable to work, and the economic situation is dire. With children to care for, I'm uncertain about the future and when this crisis will come to an end. My fears are overwhelming.”
– Hotline support recipient in the West Bank, Palestine
Supporting Women in Israel:
We have partnered with an organization in Israel, called ‘Women Against Violence’ that provides shelters for Palestinian and Jewish Israeli women survivors of violence and their children. In addition to housing, legal support, and trauma counseling, they are creating social cohesion among women and children of different backgrounds in a safe space.
Join Us in Making a Difference:
For the sake of thousands who are injured, displaced and countless others whose lives have been shattered in this expanding war, we cannot and must not be immune to their pain.
We desperately need this war to end NOW.
Despite this being one of the most divisive conflicts in the world, our shared humanity compels us to reject the rhetoric of hate and violence and instead work together to rebuild women’s lives to secure a future of equality, security, and dignity for all.
In our history of working in conflict-affected regions, we have seen the powerful transformation that is possible when we invest in women’s resilience. While it might feel impossible during this moment of grief, sorrow, and anger, we strongly believe that we can support women to heal, recover, and rebuild for peace.
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Make an emergency donation to support women facing horrific consequences of this conflict. Your gift today helps provide: cash, food, clothing, diapers, hygiene kits, and trauma counseling.