UN Agency Reports Alarming Surge in Gender-Based Violence and Forced Child Marriages Across War-Torn Gaza

Escalating Risks and Institutional Collapse in the Gaza Strip

Recent findings released by the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) indicate a sharp, deeply alarming rise in reports of violence against women and girls throughout the Gaza Strip. According to a comprehensive series of reports, the protracted crisis in the war-torn enclave has created dangerous conditions where female residents face escalating risks of gender-based violence (GBV). One primary report, which synthesizes data collected across ten different humanitarian organizations, explicitly details how the ongoing hostilities have dismantled the social safety nets that once protected vulnerable populations.

Nestor Owomuhangi, the UNFPA representative to Palestine, described the unfolding trends as entirely shocking. Owomuhangi noted that the extreme circumstances witnessed over the past three years - marked by the tragic loss of tens of thousands of lives, widespread mass destruction, and continuous waves of internal displacement - have systematically broken down established social structures. In his assessment, everything has been profoundly eroded to the point where institutional oversight has largely ceased to function, leaving women and children exposed to unprecedented hazards.

The Alarming Spike in Early and Forced Marriages

Among the most disturbing revelations from the UNFPA documentation is a severe escalation in the incidence of early and forced marriages, both of which are categorized as severe forms of gender-based violence by international bodies. Although gathering verified quantitative data remains exceptionally challenging given the chaotic operational environment on the ground, UNFPA tracking highlights a staggering 123% increase in reported cases of early and forced marriage during the second quarter of this year compared to the first quarter. Documented instances of child marriage predominantly involve young girls ranging between the ages of 12 and 17.

Testimonies gathered from 230 women residing in crowded displacement camps located in Gaza City and Khan Younis provide a harrowing window into these transactional arrangements, driven primarily by extreme poverty and desperation. In one stark account from last year during the height of severe food scarcity, a displaced father married off his 14-year-old daughter in exchange for two bags of flour so that he and his remaining children could survive. Six separate women across different displacement camps shared similar accounts of survival-driven exchanges, practices that would have been entirely unthinkable prior to the outbreak of the conflict between Israel and Hamas in 2023.

Displacement Camps, Loss of Privacy, and Direct Testimonies

Nearly the entire population of more than two million Gazans has been driven from their homes, forcing residents into squalid tent camps or heavily damaged buildings where privacy is virtually nonexistent. Living in close quarters among strangers within a traditionally conservative society has triggered widespread complaints of heightened sexual harassment and abuse. Consequently, many families view the early marriage of their daughters as an imperfect mechanism to protect them from external threats and to preserve family modesty amidst the collapse of civic order.

Firsthand testimonies captured in the research underscore the profound desperation felt within these makeshift communities. One displaced woman residing in a school-turned-shelter in Gaza City highlighted a deeply troubling local coping mechanism, noting that rape victims are frequently married off to their perpetrators in an effort to avoid social shame and scandal. "When rape cases are discovered in schools, you find weddings and celebrations at the school the next day," she stated.

Heightened Vulnerabilities for War-Orphaned Girls and Education Deficits

The crisis has also hit educational systems and orphaned minors with particular severity. Prior to the outbreak of the war, female students in Gaza consistently outnumbered and outperformed boys at every educational level above primary school. However, prolonged school closures have forced widespread dropouts, with boys facing immense pressure to secure informal labor to support their families, while girls encounter heightened safety risks that restrict their mobility.

The UNFPA report, which draws on rigorous research conducted through late 2025 and early 2026, emphasizes that girls orphaned during the course of the war are exceptionally vulnerable to exploitation. Highlighting this dynamic, a woman interviewed in a Gaza City camp recounted attending the wedding of two young female relatives aged just 14 and 15. "Their uncles married them off very young. Do you know why? Because their father and mother were martyred, and their uncles wanted to get rid of the responsibility and expenses," she explained, adding poignantly, "By God, they don't understand what marriage or life is."

Humanitarian Realities Amid Ongoing Hostilities

Despite the eventual reopening of certain food markets within the enclave, severe economic devastation has left many residents entirely unable to afford available goods. Extreme poverty, persistent hunger, and heavy reliance on charitable handouts continue to define daily life for millions. Public infrastructure and civic services remain largely paralyzed, and Israeli air strikes have continued to strike various areas despite formal ceasefire efforts.

Humanitarian agencies emphasize that restoring protective frameworks, legal aid, and safe spaces for women and girls must become an urgent international priority. Without a concerted intervention to rebuild social support systems, secure economic relief, and reestablish educational pathways, the long-term societal fallout of these compounding protection crises threatens to impact generations of women and children across the Gaza Strip.