Embassy of the State of Palestine

Health and Food Security Conditions for Palestinian Women and Girls Amid the Genocidal War

Report issued by Ministry of Women's Affairs on National Day of Palestinian Women, 26 October 2025

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In line with the commitments of the Palestinian government to enhancing the resilience of Palestinian women and protecting their rights, the Ministry of Women's Affairs, in partnership with the Ministry of Health, continues its efforts through the National Strategy for the Health Empowerment of Women. This strategy is based on the principles of justice, equality, and equal opportunity, and aims to enhance women's access to comprehensive health services, empower them to enjoy their health rights without discrimination, and ensure the integration of the health dimension into all relevant national policies and plans.

Through its partnerships with national and international institutions, the Ministry reaffirms its commitment to work on developing legislation and policies that support women's right to health, enhancing protection and psychosocial support programs, and building the capacities of women's institutions and health cadres. This is to ensure a just and integrated response to the needs of women and girls in all areas of the homeland, especially under the current aggression and its serious humanitarian repercussions.

- Mona Al-Khalili, Minister of Women's Affairs of the State of Palestine

[EXECUTIVE SUMMARY]

This report provides a comprehensive analysis of the health conditions of Palestinian women and girls in the Gaza Strip and the West Bank, including East Jerusalem, two years after the October 2023 war. The genocidal war that erupted in October 2023, along with the criminal practices that targeted the entire health system— its institutions and staff—struck health facilities, hospitals, laboratories, pharmacies, and ambulances. It impeded the movement of medical personnel and humanitarian delegations, targeting them directly and deliberately, and destroyed infrastructure, including road networks, sanitation, communications, electricity, and fuel stations, which hindered the work of medical teams. In addition, forced displacement pushed nearly two million people to be displaced multiple times under extremely difficult living and humanitarian conditions. All of this has left severe physical and psychological impacts on the population, with women and children being among the groups most affected by these conditions.

Below are the most prominent data and indicators included in this report, monitoring the health conditions of women and girls in the Gaza Strip, the West Bank, and Jerusalem:

1. The Gaza Strip

The Gaza Strip has witnessed a systematic and comprehensive collapse of the health system, infrastructure, and community, leading to an unprecedented rise in all forms of gender-based violence.

• Living Conditions and Collapse of Infrastructure: 
• Displacement: The genocidal war has forced nearly two million people into displacement multiple times under harsh humanitarian conditions.
• Lack of Safety and Privacy: The vast majority of women (98.8%) confirmed they do not feel safe, and 97% reported a complete loss of privacy due to living in overcrowded and unfit tents, and the difficulty in accessing safe sanitation facilities.
• Destruction of Infrastructure: Water, sanitation, and electricity networks were directly destroyed, with about 90% of the water and sanitation sector assets damaged, hindering the provision of basic hygiene services.

• Health Conditions and Collapse of the Medical System:
• Medical Collapse: Partially operating hospitals decreased from 36 to only 10. There is a severe shortage of fuel, oxygen, and blood, and a depletion of essential medicines and supplies, reaching "zero" in some major facilities.
• Injuries and Deaths: Women and children constituted about 70% of the aggression's victims (martyrs, missing, and wounded), with adult women's injuries estimated at 29.6% of those with severe wounds. The injuries created an urgent need for rehabilitation, as rehabilitation facilities declined by 62%.
• Maternal Health: The rate of spontaneous abortion increased by up to 300%, and premature births increased by 25% due to malnutrition and deteriorating health conditions. About 20 newborns died within 24 hours of birth due to complications.
• Psychological Impacts: The severe physical and psychological injuries sustained by women or their family members have led to immense psychological pressure, increasing symptoms of depression and anxiety among mothers, especially with the collapse of specialized mental health support services.

• Food Insecurity and Malnutrition:
• Famine and Women: The United Nations officially declared a famine in Gaza Governorate (August 2025), with about 1.14 million people suffering from full-blown famine, most of them women.
• Double Targeting: Approximately 46,300 pregnant women face severe hunger, as women frequently have to forgo their food rations for their children, exposing them to anemia, weakened immunity, and serious complications during pregnancy and breastfeeding. Female-headed households are 35% more vulnerable to food insecurity compared to others.
• Child Malnutrition: Over 12,000 children were admitted for treatment of acute malnutrition in July 2025 alone. Severe wasting and weakened immunity have led to an increase in indirect deaths associated with hunger.

• Gender-Based Violence (GBV)
• Prevalence of Violence: 93.8% of women were exposed to violence during the war period, and 90% of them reported an increase in the severity of this violence.
• Main Patterns of Violence: Verbal violence (97.9%), psychological violence (90.4%), and economic violence/deprivation of resources (52.2%), the latter being the most common pattern in recently reported incidents.
• Perpetrators of Violence: Husband/intimate partner (63.8%), non-partner family members (36% in recent trends), in addition to humanitarian workers and service providers (31.6%) due to exploitation and sexual abuse linked to the need for assistance.
• Silence: 46.5% of survivors remain silent, fearing family breakdown (77.5%) and social stigma (37.2%).
• Behavioral Effects: Violence led to withdrawn behavior (70.4%), committing violence against others, especially children (50.7%), and 8.3% contemplated or attempted suicide.
• Menstrual Hygiene Management (MHM) Crisis: Approximately 700,000 women and girls of menstrual age face a "menstrual health crisis" with a shortage of over 75% of the monthly need for sanitary pads, forcing them to use unsafe materials and increasing the risks of infections and exposure to violence in crowded facilities.

• Vulnerable Groups:
• Women with Disabilities: 83% of women with disabilities lost their assistive devices, doubling their isolation and increasing the risks of falls and infections.
• Child Marriage: There is an increase in forced marriage and child marriage as a coping mechanism for poverty and lack of shelter, with cases reported of girls as young as 12 years old.
• Elderly Women: They face increased risk due to chronic diseases, loss of breadwinners, and difficulty moving to access food and services, raising their mortality rates.

2. The West Bank (including East Jerusalem)

The conditions of women in the West Bank are affected by tightened military restrictions, checkpoints, and the stifling financial crisis of the Palestinian Authority, which hinders access to basic healthcare and exacerbates violence against women and girls.

• Movement Restrictions and their Impact:
• Checkpoints and Restrictions: The occupation has imposed over 1,100 fixed military checkpoints and 288 iron gates, obstructing the movement of Palestinians and increasing the cost and time required to reach health facilities.
• Dangers on the Road: Women face high risks during movement due to attacks by settlers and soldiers, forcing them to postpone or cancel medical follow-up appointments, especially for high- risk pregnant women and those with chronic diseases.
• Collapse of the Health System Due to Financial Crisis and Restrictions:
• Shortage of Medicines and Funding: The health system suffers from a stifling financial crisis due to the unlawful withholding of Palestinian tax revenues by Israel, leading to a shortage of about 45% of essential medicines.
• Rejection of Referrals: 44% of requests for specialized medical referrals to hospitals in Jerusalem or Israel were rejected or left unanswered, putting women with chronic diseases such as kidney failure and cancer at great risk.
• Decline of UNRWA Services: The Israeli government's decision to ban UNRWA activities threatens to cut off vital primary health services and referral pathways for thousands of refugees, especially women and children in camps and East Jerusalem.
• Conditions in Camps and East Jerusalem:
• Camps (Jenin, Tulkarm): These areas witnessed invasions and the demolition of hundreds of homes, leading to the destruction of infrastructure and increased risk of infection. 81% of women in the camps do not have access to reproductive health services and psychological support.
• East Jerusalem: 62.2% of women suffered from restrictions due to the Separation Barrier and checkpoints, and 54.7% faced difficulties in obtaining appointments for specialized services. The halt of UNRWA services increases the financial burden and the cost and time required to obtain care.
• Gender-Based Violence and Deteriorating Mental Health:
• Exacerbation of Domestic Violence: Economic deterioration, loss of income, and severe psychological pressure have led to an increase in verbal and physical violence within families and in camps.
• Mental Health: Women suffer from chronic psychological disorders, such as anxiety, constant fear, and excessive nervousness, especially in camps due to ongoing tension and economic despair.
• Material Obstacles: Material obstacles (lack of income and high transportation costs) have led many displaced women to forgo their essential treatments or postpone surgeries.

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