{"id":308817,"date":"2025-07-06T17:10:25","date_gmt":"2025-07-06T21:10:25","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.un.org\/unispal\/?post_type=document&p=308817"},"modified":"2025-07-07T17:10:42","modified_gmt":"2025-07-07T21:10:42","slug":"women-of-gaza-finding-strength-in-safe-spaces-unfpa-story","status":"publish","type":"document","link":"https:\/\/www.un.org\/unispal\/document\/women-of-gaza-finding-strength-in-safe-spaces-unfpa-story\/","title":{"rendered":"Women of Gaza: Finding strength in safe spaces – Ä¢¹½ÊÓƵFPA Story"},"content":{"rendered":"

 <\/p>\n

06 July 2025<\/p>\n

\u201cWomen and girls in Gaza live in a reality that is anything but easy, and even the word \u201cdifficult\u201d does not do it justice,\u201d says Zainab, a staff member at the Ä¢¹½ÊÓƵFPA-supported Hayat Centre in Gaza city, a safe space and shelter for women and girls that provides support for survivors of gender-based violence, including referrals to specialized services. \u201cSome of the attendees at the centre have said that they have forgotten they are even a woman \u2013 a human being,\u201d she adds, underscoring the profound psychological toll and \u2018silent crisis\u2019 gripping women and girls after more than 20 months of relentless conflict.<\/p>\n

The visible devastation of Gaza\u2019s war often overshadows unseen wounds. \u201cPeople think they only need food and financial assistance,\u201d says Itemad, a coordinator at the Ä¢¹½ÊÓƵFPA-supported Women\u2019s Affairs Centre in Gaza city. \u201cBut over time, they realize that they need to talk as well. Women in Gaza are in desperate need of psychological services.\u201d<\/p>\n

Heba\u2019s story is a stark reminder of these unseen wounds. During a brief three-month ceasefire, she returned to her home to find it completely destroyed, stumbling upon human remains while attempting to erect a tent for her family. Her neighbour endured the unimaginable, sifting through rubble for hours for the rest of her husband\u2019s body after finding his head.<\/p>\n

Widespread bombardment, shelling, and shooting continue in Gaza, claiming scores of lives and inflicting countless injuries, including among those desperately seeking aid.\u00a0\u00a0Since the ceasefire collapsed in March,\u00a0more than 714,000 people<\/a><\/em>\u00a0have been displaced again, pushed into ever shrinking enclaves devoid of basic necessities.<\/p>\n

Khetam, 58, has lost everything \u2013 her house, her sense of security \u2013 swept away by a conflict that has destroyed\u00a090 percent of homes<\/a><\/em>. “I feel overwhelmed, thinking about the house, the children, everything,” she shares, the psychological wounds deep and potentially lifelong.<\/p>\n

With soaring malnutrition and food scarcity, women in Gaza continue to bear an immense, disproportionate burden as they struggle daily to feed their families.\u00a0Two-thirds report depression<\/a><\/em>\u00a0and over half suffer from nightmares and anxiety. Reported cases of gender-based violence have soared<\/a><\/em>\u00a0since October 2023, exacerbated by the relentless strains of displacement, hunger, appalling living conditions, and lost livelihoods.<\/p>\n

“Nowhere is safe. We are constantly afraid,” says Saadia, aged 60, articulating the pervasive fear that defines life for many women in Gaza.<\/p>\n

Despite overwhelming adversity, women like Heba, Khetam, and Saadia demonstrate remarkable resilience, finding strength at one of 13 Ä¢¹½ÊÓƵFPA women and girls\u2019 safe spaces. These spaces, where operational, remain a vital source of protection and support in the Gaza Strip. From January to May 2025, around 3,000 women and girls benefitted from vital services, including\u00a0 psychosocial support, and referrals to legal and health services as needed.<\/p>\n

\u201cWomen have experienced immense loss, including through the death or imprisonment of relatives,\u201d Ibtisam, 58, a safe space attendee shares. \u201cLooking for water, living without any privacy, and constantly worrying\u2014it’s exhausting\u201d. The\u00a0safe space is a lifeline for her, offering psychological support and teaching coping mechanisms, like breathing exercises, to manage ongoing anxiety and fear.<\/p>\n

\n

\"Ibtisam

Ibtisam participates in activities at a Ä¢¹½ÊÓƵFPA-supported safe space. \u00a9Ä¢¹½ÊÓƵFPA\/Yasmeen Sous<\/p><\/div>

<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Before the aid blockade, Ä¢¹½ÊÓƵFPA and its partners also provided dignity kits\u2014essential hygiene items that offered a semblance of normalcy and dignity\u2013at safe spaces. “These simple bags became a symbol of hope and support\u2014reminding women that they are not alone, and that even in the darkest times, their dignity matters,\u201d recalls Amal Sayam, Director of the Women’s Affairs Centre in Gaza. For more than 16 weeks, however, no hygiene items have entered Gaza, leaving these crucial stocks completely depleted, and around\u00a0700,000 women and girls struggling to manage their menstruation<\/a><\/em>. Ä¢¹½ÊÓƵFPA trucks loaded with hygiene supplies have been stalled at borders for months.<\/p>\n

The women and girls in this story represent a fraction of the many facing similar struggles. Yet, with the support of Ä¢¹½ÊÓƵFPA and partners, they are finding strength within their communities. Despite their pain and loss, the spirit of solidarity, survival, and hope continue to shine through.<\/p>\n

\n

\"Maryam,

Maryam, 40, said the dignity kit she received through Ä¢¹½ÊÓƵFPA partners helped her through a dark time. These kits are now depleted.\u00a0 \u00a9Ä¢¹½ÊÓƵFPA\/Yasmeen Sous<\/p><\/div>

<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\n

\"A

A Ä¢¹½ÊÓƵFPA-supported safe space run by ACHA, Abdel Shafi Community Health Association, in Gaza city. \u00a9Ä¢¹½ÊÓƵFPA\/Yasmeen Sous<\/p><\/div>

<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\n

\"Women

Women and girls participate in an arts and crafts session at one of Ä¢¹½ÊÓƵFPA’s safe spaces run by CFTA, Culture and Free Thought Association. \u00a9Ä¢¹½ÊÓƵFPA\/Yasmeen Sous<\/p><\/div><\/figure>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

  06 July 2025 \u201cWomen and girls in Gaza live in a reality that is anything but easy, and even the word \u201cdifficult\u201d does not do it justice,\u201d says Zainab, a staff member at the Ä¢¹½ÊÓƵFPA-supported Hayat Centre in Gaza city, a safe space and shelter for women and girls that provides support for survivors […]<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":299,"featured_media":0,"parent":0,"template":"","meta":{"footnotes":""},"country":[],"document-category":[1329,6926],"document-source":[2337],"committee-meeting":[],"document-subject":[2517,1769,1945,2005,6257,1745,6245,1841],"entity":[1729],"document-language":[6542],"class_list":["post-308817","document","type-document","status-publish","hentry","document-category-press-release","document-category-stories","document-source-united-nations-population-fund-unfpa","document-subject-access-and-movement","document-subject-armed-conflict","document-subject-assistance","document-subject-gaza-strip","document-subject-gender","document-subject-refugees-and-displaced-persons","document-subject-violence","document-subject-women","entity-united-nations-system","document-language-english"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.un.org\/unispal\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/document\/308817","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.un.org\/unispal\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/document"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.un.org\/unispal\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/document"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.un.org\/unispal\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/299"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.un.org\/unispal\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/document\/308817\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":308820,"href":"https:\/\/www.un.org\/unispal\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/document\/308817\/revisions\/308820"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.un.org\/unispal\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=308817"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"country","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.un.org\/unispal\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/country?post=308817"},{"taxonomy":"document-category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.un.org\/unispal\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/document-category?post=308817"},{"taxonomy":"document-source","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.un.org\/unispal\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/document-source?post=308817"},{"taxonomy":"committee-meeting","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.un.org\/unispal\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/committee-meeting?post=308817"},{"taxonomy":"document-subject","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.un.org\/unispal\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/document-subject?post=308817"},{"taxonomy":"entity","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.un.org\/unispal\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/entity?post=308817"},{"taxonomy":"document-language","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.un.org\/unispal\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/document-language?post=308817"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}