Our research examines the intersection between military occupation and patriarchal structures in Palestine, restoring visibility to the leadership and political agency of Palestinian women.

Humanitarian crises are never gender neutral. In Palestine, the impact of conflict on women is not an inevitability, but the result of a systematic overlap between military occupation and pre existing patriarchal structures.

This is the central finding of “Her Future at Risk. The Cost of Humanitarian Crises on Women and Girls. Focus. Lived Realities and Collective Action of Palestinian Women and Women Led Organisations”, the latest report in our series dedicated to the gendered impact of humanitarian crises, following previous focuses on Afghanistan and Ukraine.

Unlike traditional humanitarian research, which is often “extractive”, the report adopts a decolonial and anthropological approach.

The work is based on 57 in depth interviews conducted with women and women’s and feminist organisations across Gaza, the West Bank and the diaspora, with a research team made up of more than 60% Palestinian professionals. The aim is to return control of the narrative to women themselves, moving away from stereotypes that portray them solely as passive victims or idealised heroines, and instead recognising them as complex subjects and political actors in everyday resistance.

The research shows how, since October 2023, the escalation of hostilities in Gaza and the intensification of occupation policies in the West Bank have deepened already existing vulnerabilities, turning structural discrimination into a condition that daily threatens the lives of women and girls.

The total collapse of health, education, water and protection systems has placed women at the centre of daily survival. They carry the burden of caring for families, holding communities together and, often, sustaining the humanitarian response itself.

The report clearly highlights a condition of double oppression, produced both by military occupation and by patriarchal structures within society itself.

These two forces do not operate separately, they intersect. External instability and economic crisis intensify social dynamics, increasing the risk of gender based violence, which grows inside homes, overcrowded shelters and even aid distribution points.

In this context, the lack of privacy, adequate sanitation and menstrual hygiene products are not marginal details, but violations of human rights.

“Flour… flour was one of the hardest things. At first we bought a sack, then the price rose absurdly, and there were many of us… Getting it became a huge problem. Everything started with moving to a new place, where you do not feel comfortable, and then the fear of bombings turned into the fear of not having food.” , Woman, 33 years old, Gaza

“For many women, even everyday actions such as fetching water or receiving aid become dangerous. They face constant harassment in spaces that should be safe, and this further limits their freedom and access to services,” comments Giovanna Fotia, WeWorld Country Director in Palestine.

The report also focuses closely on women’s bodies as spaces of control and violence: compromised sexual and reproductive health, mental health under pressure, lack of privacy, inadequate sanitation, poor menstrual hygiene and unsafe access to water and essential services.

“For personal hygiene, at times I had to rely on wet wipes, tissues or pieces of cloth… all solutions that were far from ideal and left us uncomfortable. For a long time, I used toothpaste instead of soap. At one point, even sand. Later, I discovered that ash worked too. Fortunately, in the end I managed to stock up on soap, but the first time I found myself without any cleaning products was truly difficult.” Woman, unspecified age, Gaza

A central role is played by women humanitarian workers involved in the emergency response, operating on the front line while living under the same crisis conditions as the communities they support. Yet the report points to a paradox. Although women are often the first to organise survival, local women leaders remain excluded from the spaces where funding and strategies are decided. Women led organisations historically receive only a minimal share of global funding, which is channelled instead towards large agencies or locally male led structures. Mediators, social workers, educators and volunteers are often the ones ensuring access to services, listening, protection and trust within communities, becoming essential points of reference, especially for other women and girls.

Their presence is essential to make interventions accessible, safe and culturally appropriate, helping hidden needs and situations of violence emerge. At the same time, they work within a humanitarian system under severe pressure, facing movement restrictions, insecurity, emotional strain and constant risk, while balancing professional responsibilities with caregiving duties and the direct impact of the crisis on their own lives.

“Humanitarian workers are often the first to respond and the last to stop. They work on the front line, but they are living through the same crisis. This makes their role even more essential and, at the same time, more exposed,” comments Giovanna Fotia, WeWorld Country Director in Palestine.

But Her Future at Risk rejects a simplified representation of Palestinian women as only victims or heroines. Instead, the report restores them as complex subjects: workers, caregivers, activists and key figures in social cohesion, solidarity and everyday resistance. Not an “infinite” strength to romanticise, but an endurance built under coercion and at an immense cost.

“Palestinian women do not ask to be portrayed as martyrs or icons. They ask to be seen for what they do every day: holding daily life together even when everything around them collapses,” states Dina Taddia, CEO of WeWorld

Alongside the increase in vulnerabilities, the report also highlights the forms of everyday resistance carried out by women. In contexts of war and displacement, the informal networks that traditionally share the burden of care, extended families, neighbours and communities, often collapse.

Yet these same contexts give rise to new forms of sisterhood and mutual support. In overcrowded shelters, tents and improvised spaces, women rebuild support networks. They share food, care for each other’s children, organise safe spaces and support one another emotionally. This solidarity is born out of necessity, but becomes a fundamental resource for collective survival.

These dynamics extend beyond borders as well. In the diaspora, Palestinian women describe the difficulty of rebuilding a sense of belonging and community, often without recognition of their identity and with fragmented social networks. Here too, relationships between women become spaces of reconstruction, support and continuity.

“Reconstruction will not be possible without women, because women are capable of everything. Without what they have already done and the steps they have already taken, there would be no hope of reaching this point. No one else would speak my language, no one else would understand my needs.” Woman, representative of the Women’s Programme Centre Association

We have been working in Palestine since 1992, in the West Bank and the Gaza Strip, with humanitarian and emergency interventions in WASH, education, protection, health, shelter, livelihoods, food security and environment. We combine infrastructure rehabilitation, services, training, community engagement and resilience strengthening, with specific attention to the barriers women and girls face in accessing services, protection and mobility.

Finally, the report stresses that investing in women, women’s organisations and women led organisations is not only a protection priority, but an operational necessity. Without their leadership, the humanitarian response remains partial, less effective and less just.