© WFP Two thirds of female-headed households urgently need cash assistance to survive. Gaza: Women forced to make “impossible choices” for the sake of their families Humanitarian assistance
In the Gaza Strip, female-headed households are more likely than male-headed households to experience permanent homelessness and food and financial insecurity. This is evidenced by new data from UN Women.
Nearly one in four households in Gaza is now headed by a woman – an estimated 86,290 families. “This is double the rate before October 2023 and reflects the massacre of Palestinians,” said Sophia Callthorpe, head of the humanitarian aid department. activities UN Women.
According to her access to food, drinking water, hygiene products and basic services throughout the enclave remains “extremely limited.”
“Women in leadership households are forced every day to make impossible decisions about how to allocate scarce resources, how to access assistance and simply ensure the survival of those they care about,” she said.The data comes 11 months after a ceasefire was reached between Hamas militants and Israel. Since then, Israeli airstrikes and ground military operations in Gaza have killed at least 246 Palestinians – 137 women and 109 girls.”Among the victims is 18-year-old Raghad Ashur, who Callthorpe said was killed in an Israeli attack on her way to a school exam. “A six-year-old girl was killed in a helicopter strike on a camp for displaced families in the Al-Mawasi area, near Khan Younis. Another girl was shot dead in front of her classmates at a field school in Beit Lahiya,” she added. injured.
Additional challenges
A UN Women analysis found that nearly 70 percent of female-headed households lack adequate housing, compared with 55 percent of male-headed households. Such families were also more likely to have fled their homes and were more likely to face food insecurity. Two-thirds of female-headed households urgently need cash assistance to survive.
As a result of the war that began following the Hamas attacks on Israel in October 2023, the majority of Gaza’s approximately 2.1 million residents remain in a state of forced displacement. overcrowded shelters and insecure conditions in less than 40 percent of the Gaza Strip, as Israeli authorities continue to restrict access to areas beyond the so-called Yellow and Orange Lines. According to the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, more than half of the population (58 percent) faces critical or catastrophic housing needs. However, three-quarters of female-headed households report housing damage, compared to two-thirds of male-headed households.
“The ceasefire must be fully respected. There is a need to ensure full respect for international law, accountability for violations, unimpeded delivery of humanitarian aid to those in need – to the extent necessary and without any obstacles – and the protection of women and girls. In addition, the needs of women and girls must be central to response and recovery efforts, including their meaningful participation in peacebuilding and reconstruction processes,” Callthorpe emphasized.