Neither Victims nor Heroines: The Lived Realities, Resilience and Collective Action of Palestinian Women in Humanitarian Crises

Since October 2023, the escalation of the conflict in Gaza and the tightening of restrictions and occupation policies in the West Bank have had a severe impact on the lives of Palestinian women and girls, exacerbating vulnerabilities that were already deeply entrenched. Long-standing inequalities have turned into concrete, everyday risks to survival. As essential services collapse — from healthcare and education to access to water, housing and livelihoods — women are often left to shoulder the burden of day-to-day resilience, facing constant danger while continuing to support families, communities and even the humanitarian response itself.

This is the picture that emerges from our new research, the latest in the Her Future At Risk series. The focus is on Palestine, a context shaped by decades of military occupation, political instability and structural gender inequalities, where crises never affect everyone in the same way.

Discover the other reports in the series focusing on Afghanistan and Ukraine.

Listening to women helps us understand what it means to live in a reality where structural discrimination becomes a tangible emergency every single day, and sheds light on dimensions that statistics alone cannot capture. For this reason, the research is based on 57 in-depth interviews with women and girls from Gaza, the West Bank and the diaspora, alongside contributions from women-led and women’s rights organisations and the experience of WeWorld’s humanitarian staff. The work was also guided by a research committee composed of more than 60% Palestinian members, to ensure an approach firmly rooted in local contexts and perspectives.

Drawing on these testimonies, the study offers an in-depth look at both the daily challenges women face and the strategies of resistance and adaptation they develop in a reality where safety, dignity and rights can never be taken for granted.

“Out of respect for all women since 1948, I honour every woman who tried to bring change to society. Yet today, we continue to face a very strong form of masculinity, not simply in terms of male or fe­male, but in the sense of entrenched patriarchy. This patriarchal system has accompanied us throughout history, and in every crisis, it grows stronger.” – Woman, representative of a women-led organisation

These words clearly reveal the specific condition of Palestinian women, who live what is often described as a form of “double oppression”. This reality was firmly established long before the current conflict, as gender inequalities became intertwined with entrenched patriarchal norms and the constraints imposed by military occupation.

Even before October 2023, the lives of Palestinian women were marked by deep marginalisation, shaped by social pressures, economic hardship and political restrictions that reinforced one another. Many women worked primarily in the informal or domestic sphere as a way to support their families, often without recognition or real autonomy, accumulating paid work alongside caregiving responsibilities. At the same time, despite having played a central role in political struggles and social movements, their participation was long obstructed and rarely translated into genuine decision-making power.

“Most women who work end up working in two places: their job outside the home and then their responsibilities at home. For almost all women, coming home does not mean resting; it means immediately starting household chores. Even before the war, and especially during it, as soon as a woman got back to her tent, she would start cleaning, lighting firewood for cooking and baking, washing clothes, and taking care of the family. (…)” – Woman, representative of the Women’s Affairs Centre

“The reason women are often prevented from reaching positions of responsibility or leader­ship, such as in government, is not a lack of ability, but the existing social reality. This includes systems that prioritise men’s needs in many areas, as well as prevailing ways of thinking within the judiciary and the legal system in general. This reality is reinforced by the patriarchal system, which gives preference and priority to men.” – Woman, representative of the Women’s Centre for Legal Aid & Counselling

It is within this context that women’s sumud takes shape: a form of everyday steadfastness expressed through the ability to carry on, to care for others and to hold communities together against all odds. This is a quiet yet concrete form of resistance, made up of daily acts, attachment to the land and collective perseverance in the face of dispossession. Shedding light on this complexity was one of the core aims of the research: to show how Palestinian women have always had to navigate the tension between the national struggle and the pursuit of emancipation, and how today they continue to develop strategies to sustain families and communities while simultaneously confronting the constant pressures of military and administrative occupation.

The skills developed through domestic work — from managing multiple responsibilities to mediating conflict — thus become genuine tools of resistance. For Palestinian women, resistance is not an abstract concept, but something built through everyday life, social solidarity and political engagement. Forms of participation in social and political life have also evolved over time, moving from charitable activities to collective organising and work within NGOs. This trajectory reflects both a remarkable capacity for adaptation and the ongoing strain of reconciling social expectations with the struggle for national liberation and the fight for gender rights.

“Resistance is present in daily life: surviving, educating children, maintaining dignity, and asserting autonomy within families and communities. These acts, though less visible than political protests, are fundamental to societal resilience.” – Woman, representative of the Psychosocial Counselling Centre for Women

“Digital technologies and entrepreneurship have become tools of resistance. They allow wom­en to sustain their families, assert independence, and challenge both economic marginalisation and social constraints.” – Woman, representative of the Psychosocial Counselling Centre for Women

“After the establishment of the Palestinian Author­ity, the women’s rights movement turned to organised institutional work, and women’s rights and hu­man rights organisations were established aimed at empowering women, legal advocacy, and calling for the amendment of laws and public policies. With the outbreak of repeated crises and wars on the Gaza Strip (...) a large part of the work of these institutions was redirected towards the humanitarian and relief response while maintaining the human rights and advocacy dimension.” –  Woman, representative of the Women’s Affairs Centre

Across all aspects of their lives, Palestinian women face overlapping and mutually reinforcing vulnerabilities, exacerbated by the escalation of hostilities and the tightening of occupation policies since October 2023, with differing but equally devastating effects in Gaza and the West Bank.

In the Gaza Strip, the impact of the conflict permeates every aspect of daily life, creating a crisis that deepens day after day. The collapse of water infrastructure has made access to water, sanitation and hygiene products increasingly difficult: today, 63% of households do not even have soap, and around 500,000 women and girls are unable to manage their menstrual cycle safely, with serious consequences for health and dignity (OCHA oPt, 2025).

“Water shortages affected everything: washing children, cleaning clothes, and general hygiene became constant struggles. Health issues worsened, and for pregnant women, it created extra risks. Some families simply gave up, because there was no practical solution.” – Woman, 33 years old, Gaza

The healthcare system is also on the brink of collapse: with 94% of hospitals damaged or destroyed (OHCHR, 2025), access to care is severely limited, particularly for sexual and reproductive health services. More than half a million women are not receiving the care they need (UNFPA, 2025), and the risk of dying during childbirth or being unable to carry a pregnancy to term has tripled compared to the period before October 2023 (OHCHR, 2025). Added to this is widespread food insecurity, which often forces women to reduce or skip meals to ensure their children can eat, while malnutrition also heavily affects pregnant and breastfeeding women.

“One of the most difficult experiences was hunger; standing helpless in front of your children, unable to give them anything, even though you had money, because there was simply nothing availa­ble to buy. (...) Cooking is done over a fire, and we have had to give up many things, we no longer use many spices and have sacrificed much in our daily meals.” – Woman, age unspecified, Gaza

On the economic front, the loss of livelihoods has wiped out years of autonomy: female unemployment has reached 67% (ILO, 2024), and many sources of informal income have disappeared.

“One of the most significant challenges I faced as a woman during the years of the siege lead­ing up to October 7 was the high unemployment and the near-total lack of job opportunities, par­ticularly for women. With the continuous closure of crossings, economic prospects became extremely limited. Many women, despite being highly educated and professionally qualified, were unable to exercise their basic right to work. This challenge was not only financial but also psychological and social, as women often felt helpless and overburdened despite their relentless efforts to support their families. As a result, many were compelled to accept temporary, low-paid, or even unfair work just to preserve a minimum level of dignity and independence.” – Woman, age unspecified, Gaza

Education has also become increasingly fragile: for the third consecutive year, in-person schooling has been almost entirely absent, and for many girls there is a real risk that this interruption will become permanent.

“Teaching is a very painful experience. I don’t feel like a proper teacher anymore; I am mostly trying to maintain calm and control in the classroom. (…) Two academic years have been lost, and students do not know even the simplest basics. The student-teacher relationship has also suffered. Many students are absent-minded, withdrawn, or even violent, and they need psychological support that is not available. Female teachers face confusion and exploitation. We have to leave our own chil­dren to go to school, often with no available resources, no blackboards, no chairs, no tables. Children sit on the floor, and we have to explain lessons group by group, sometimes only using a notebook.” – Teacher, age unspecified, Gaza

Within this web of crises, repeated evacuations and life in overcrowded shelters — often without privacy or essential services — expose women and girls to heightened health risks, gender-based violence and escalating psychological stress.

“A tent in the camp is shared by people from the same family or relatives, but there is no strong bond between us and them. Life feels very stressful, between the noise of the street and the voices of the neighbours, to the point that we are afraid to talk about private matters for fear that they might hear us. (...) I lost my sense of belonging to everything. I lost the house, and with it I lost belonging, love, and even the beautiful memories. The house is no longer there, and I lived in a tent on the street. The house became a dream, just a dream of leaning my back against a wall.” – Woman, age unspecified, Gaza

In the West Bank, the conflict weighs on women and girls as a constant pressure that cuts across every aspect of daily life. Restrictions on movement, widespread insecurity and increasingly stringent occupation policies make access to even the most essential services extremely difficult. In many communities, securing water means travelling long distances, bearing high costs or navigating damaged and unsafe roads.

“The area doesn’t have many water wells, and of course, water tanks and gas cars are not allowed to enter the area… Sometimes, we are cut off from water for ten days without a single point of water at all… We used to buy it from the shops with the aim of drinking and trying to save as much water as possible.” – Woman, age unspecified, West Bank

The same constraints affect the healthcare system: today, around 232,000 women and girls are unable to access sexual and reproductive health services (UNICEF, 2025). Checkpoints, roadblocks and curfews disrupt essential care and force many pregnant women to undertake exhausting journeys or to rely on mobile health units (UNFPA, 2025).

“I broke my foot on October 30, 2023. The Red Cross and the Palestinian Liaison arranged for an ambulance to come, but the soldiers refused, saying it was a curfew and we had to wait until the next day. I stayed in pain all night, and only the next day did they allow the ambulance in. I had to go to the hos­pital on crutches, with the help of my husband and children. Pal­estinian cars are strictly not allowed to enter unless they belong to the Red Cross or an ambulance, and even then, soldiers rarely allow them through. There was an elderly woman with cancer who needed to go to the hospital in Bethlehem for chemother­apy, but the soldiers did not let her leave and did not allow an ambulance to enter to pick her up. Another elderly woman fell and injured her chest, leaving her with severe pain in her ribs, but she was also stopped at the checkpoint and denied access to the hospital. The soldiers told us to wait, saying we were un­der curfew because of the war, and that these restrictions apply only to Palestinians.” – Woman, age unspecified, West Bank

Schooling has also become increasingly disrupted. Military operations and demolition orders put dozens of schools at risk and make attendance irregular, particularly for girls, who are more exposed to school dropout due to distance, insecurity and domestic responsibilities. The sudden shift to online learning has created new inequalities, as stable internet connections and devices are lacking, disproportionately excluding girls from the most vulnerable families and isolated areas.

“This year, education has been reduced to three days instead of five, and new methods are being tried, such as open education without textbooks for students. Teachers often cannot afford laptops to keep up with modern teaching, which increases their workload. Schools do not provide these resources. Additionally, the curriculum is generally beyond the students’ abilities. It doesn’t account for individual differences and contributes to gaps in learning. For students who lack basic skills, parents rely entirely on the teacher’s explanation, but teachers lack the necessary resources. All of these factors have resulted in weak and regressive education. The social status of teachers has also declined, especially since they are not receiving their full salaries or benefits.” — Teacher, age unspecified, West Bank

Economically, women shoulder the heaviest burden of unpaid care work, with few opportunities for stable income and often limited to informal and precarious employment.

“I was employed shortly before the war, as I started working in June. At first, things were normal and stable, and I worked without any difficulties. However, the situation changed after the war, as it was almost impossible to work under frequent and daily closures… As a result, I would arrive home without being able to continue my children’s studies, meet the needs of the house, or take care of my young children, which greatly increased the responsibilities and pressures.” – Health Worker, age unspecified, West Bank

This constant pressure is also reflected in access to food: many women reduce or skip meals to ensure their children can eat (UN Women, 2025), while having to travel to distant, expensive and sometimes dangerous markets.

“Sometimes we would stay for several days without a piece of bread because the curfew ap­plies to shops and groceries as well. If you don’t have flour at home, you have to wait for the curfew to be lifted. And what we were doing to face these crises was to share the food that we had as families living through the same crisis. We went through very difficult circumstances due to lack of income and curfews, where we, as women, were suffering from lack of food.” – Woman, age unspecified, West Bank

Added to all of this are building restrictions and demolitions, which force many families to live in overcrowded and unsafe homes, without privacy or adequate protection, directly affecting the dignity, health and well-being of women and girls.

“I feel that displacement may be imminent and scary. We are more vulnerable than ever before right now, with a demolition notice (…) I am afraid of being deported from my home, and at the same time I want to live outside the place where I lost my husband…” – Woman, 24 years old, Bedouin community, West Bank

“There are radical causes in society and compelling reasons that have imposed a certain reality in Palestinian so­ciety. Violence, for example, is linked to the violence of the occupation (...), what psychology calls ‘projection’, as well as poverty, unemployment, psychological and social pressure, and sometimes fear.” – Woman, representative of the Rural Women’s Development Society

This testimony helps to show how gender-based violence in Palestine is neither an isolated phenomenon nor something confined to personal relationships. It is the outcome of deep-seated and structural dynamics, fuelled by the occupation, economic precarity and entrenched patriarchal norms, often reinforced by systems of control linked to notions of honour. The conflict has made these inequalities even more visible and more severe.

As public services collapse and security deteriorates, the burden of daily survival falls almost entirely on women, who are forced to support children and family members under conditions of extreme deprivation. Girls, in particular, pay an exceptionally high price: they are up to 2.5 times more likely than boys to drop out of school to take on domestic responsibilities, losing one of the few remaining spaces of protection and facing increased exposure to violence, early marriage and exploitation.

At the same time, the loss of fathers, husbands or brothers is not only an emotional trauma but also the loss of vital support. Many women find themselves as the sole providers for their families in an economy that has been devastated. In this climate of ongoing crisis, when external instability strips men of security and power, attempts to reassert control within the family often intensify, hardening conservative norms and increasing domestic tensions.

Everyday activities such as collecting water, using shared sanitation facilities or moving around at unsafe hours expose women and girls to growing risks of harassment and abuse. Overcrowding, food shortages and constant stress further aggravate the situation, while protection systems weaken precisely when they are most needed. In this context, gender-based violence becomes part of a broader and persistent crisis, disproportionately affecting those who are already most vulnerable and highlighting the urgent need to address not only individual incidents, but also the root causes that make violence widespread and possible.

“High school girls, when passing through checkpoints on their way to school, were subjected to very humiliating searches by soldiers. Some girls even gave up their dream of education because of these practices and harassment. Parents felt they had no choice; for example, one high school girl stopped attending school after being harassed, because her parents feared she might be assaulted. Dropping out became the only option, and a young girl’s dream of completing secondary education and shaping her future was lost. Girls and women are also subjected to verbal abuse, as well as pro­vocative (...) gestures and comments from soldiers.” – Teacher, age unspecified, West Bank

“The risk of (...) violence and exploitation is particularly high in these circumstances, espe­cially when it comes to the distribution of relief materials or food. Women are often coerced or black­mailed by those providing services. For example, we had a case of a woman whose husband had been martyred. When she sought assistance at a camp, she was told to bring her husband. When she explained that he had died, she was still denied help. Some women try to return at later hours, but distributions do not continue into the evening. As a result, many women are exposed to harassment or worse, and they call to share their experiences, questioning why they were asked to come at times when no one was present or when it was dark. From what I have observed, this is exploitation rather than protection. Aid was sometimes withheld or diverted, rather than being used to safeguard those in need. Relief parcels were meant to contain specific items, but some women did not receive all the materials they were supposed to get.” – Woman, representative of a women-led organisation

“Many women in these situations have been blackmailed, assaulted, or exploited as a result of need (...) In shelters, some women have been subjected to extortion and exploitation. The marriage of girls has increased in abundance as a way to alleviate financial burdens arising from poverty and displacement. These social problems surface later because, at the moment, the priority is survival.” – Woman, representative of the Rural Women’s Development Society

Across Palestine, often quietly, women are expected to carry the weight of instability so that communities can continue to function. Yet the way their experiences are told is almost always overly simplistic: women are either portrayed solely as passive victims, crushed by conflict and inequality, or as tireless heroines, celebrated for an apparently endless strength. Palestinian women, however, describe a different reality — one that lies in between: a reality marked by exhaustion, choices, constant adaptation and everyday actions.

Strategies of resilience, closely linked to the concept of sumud, cut across every aspect of life. Women manage shortages of water and food, improvise solutions for hygiene, hold together domestic labour and seek support from local and humanitarian actors to improve access to services. At the same time, they care for themselves and others through mutual support, spirituality and family and community bonds. In schools, mothers and teachers adapt learning spaces and schedules, identify those most at risk and try to limit the damage caused by the crisis, while also offering alternative models of women’s leadership.

“I have become skilled in managing storage and household supplies. Hygiene tools, flour, sug­ar... everything is carefully calculated to ensure we have enough. I always keep an eye on the pantry and make sure family members are aware of shortages. Everyone has a responsibility to inform others when an item is running low.” – Woman, age unspecified, Gaza

“When water is not available, we use wipes or vinegar for sterilisation, and as I mentioned before, we store water in containers to use when needed. As for soap, when a bar of soap becomes very small and crumbly and can no longer be used normally, my mother grinds the remaining pieces and gathers them inside a piece of gauze. When soap is unavailable, we use these collected crumbs instead. When sanitary pads are not available, I use a clean cotton cloth as an alternative.” — Wom­an, age unspecified, Bedouin community, West Bank

“Women themselves hold awareness and psychological support sessions, creating spaces for emotional release and mutual support. Through these sessions, displaced women exchange ex­periences and positive energy, each contributing according to her specialisation, education, and life experience. The discussions focus on practical issues such as caring for the elderly during crises and how to deal with children under these extremely difficult circumstances. Caring for others is a form of strength and resistance because those who have the ability to care for others in such circumstances have a supernatural and great strength and this is a kind of resistance by keeping myself and others strong, steadfast and able to confront.” — Woman, 59 years old, West Bank

In Gaza, the West Bank and the diaspora, these strategies vary depending on the context, but the message remains the same: women are neither only victims nor mere symbols of resistance. This research rejects such simplifications and recognises Palestinian women in all their complexity — as fully fledged individuals, with their own identities, needs, contradictions and aspirations.

Alongside the resilience strategies that women practise every day, the humanitarian response itself is also changing. In Gaza and the West Bank, ongoing insecurity and structural fragility have forced many organisations to put long-term programmes — such as empowerment, legal advocacy and social change — on hold, in order to focus on emergency response. This is often an unavoidable choice, but one that leaves deep marks on the continuity and sustainability of interventions.

It is within this context that the research is situated, bringing together the voices of women-led and women’s rights organisations and the experiences of WeWorld’s humanitarian staff. Aid workers describe how fieldwork is changing, how women’s needs within communities are evolving, and what personal challenges they face on a daily basis. In Palestine, women make up a central part of the humanitarian workforce and operate in sectors such as health, protection, education and community engagement, often under extremely limited security conditions. Every day they are exposed to multiple risks — including bombardments, harassment and violence — compounded by gender-specific barriers such as restricted mobility, heavier care burdens and heightened exposure to gender-based violence. In many cases, professional and personal responsibilities accumulate in the absence of adequate infrastructure, stable support networks and sufficient psychosocial assistance.

“No safety or privacy in bathrooms… lack of hygiene items and water… queues and long dis­tances to carry water.” – Woman, Gaza

“We always feel fear and stress… mixed emotions of pride and love for my work, alongside psychological pressure and exhaustion.” – Woman, West Bank

Despite everything, for many women humanitarian workers their role remains essential: acting as a bridge, carrying and translating women’s voices into decision-making processes. Their work is not only operational, but also profoundly human and ethical, grounded in accountability to communities and in listening to lived experiences. The interviews also clearly highlight the value of relationships between women, which become spaces of trust, safety and emotional support.

“I feel a huge responsibility to connect the voices of communities to the organisation I work for.” – Woman, West Bank

“Personally, being a woman in the humanitarian sector means a great opportunity to be supportive, even if only emotionally, to help another woman overcome crises, remain resilient, and develop herself.” –  Woman, West Bank

“I am a hard-working woman; I feel pride and honour in what I provide to exhausted women whose lives have changed since the war. When I listen to women who live the same circumstances—fetching water, finding ways to cook, washing by hand—I try to be strong and steadfast so I can be a model they can follow.” – Woman, West Bank

What is often described from the outside as “resilience” is, in reality, a long and exhausting form of survival, sustained because there are no alternatives. Humanitarian language tends to celebrate women’s strength, but when that strength is demanded constantly and without genuine support, it risks becoming yet another form of violence. Palestinian women do not adapt because conditions are acceptable, but because collapsing is not an option.

For this reason, the most urgent demand of the report is an immediate cessation of hostilities and of the ongoing humanitarian catastrophe, as there can be no truly effective humanitarian response while violence and occupation continue. But the message does not stop there. Precisely because the research analyses the gender-specific impacts of crisis, its recommendations go beyond a simple call for a ceasefire. The report deliberately avoids romanticising resilience and calls for looking beyond the emergency, promoting a gender-transformative approach capable of addressing the structural inequalities that the conflict has intensified. In practical terms, this means investing over time in women’s leadership, ensuring their meaningful participation in decision-making processes, and providing direct support to local women-led organisations. It also means strengthening women’s economic autonomy and putting in place effective tools to prevent and respond to gender-based violence. At its core lies a simple but essential principle: supporting Palestinian women and women-led organisations, easing the burdens they carry every day, and ensuring that their voices and decision-making power are central to crisis response and future reconstruction — without reproducing the same patterns of exclusion.