Gender Lens on Gaza: How to deliver gender-responsive humanitarian action in the absence of humanitarian space?
Conflict and emergencies are deeply gendered, and the devastating humanitarian crisis unfolding in Gaza is no exception.
The protracted conflict in Gaza had gender dynamics at play already before the full-scale military offensive Israel launched following the 7 October Hamas attack on Israeli towns near Gaza that led to an estimated 1,200 deaths and 239 people being held as hostage. As of 10 November, the death toll in Gaza stood at 11,078 of whom 4,506 are children and 3,027 women. Another 2,700 people are reported missing and over 27,000 Palestinians have reportedly been injured to date.
People in Gaza are in the midst of an unimaginable humanitarian catastrophe, struggling to survive as Israel continues to breach international law with its disproportionate response causing immense suffering to civilian lives and vital infrastructure. In a recent joint statement, UN officials warned of a “grave risk of genocide” as time is running out for the people in Gaza.
As the conflict has escalated, so has the suffering of women, girls and those most marginalized.
Catastrophic consequences
One child is killed every 10 minutes in Gaza. By the time you finish reading this article, another child will have lost their life. In WHO’s Director-General’s description of Gaza, “Nowhere and no one is safe”.
Israel has destroyed schools and hospitals. Gaza’s hospitals and health facilities are no longer properly functioning. Around half of Gaza’s total population has been displaced. Since Gaza’s only power plant ran out of fuel and closed down on 11 October, critical healthcare, water and sanitation services have relied on generators that have also run out of fuel, leading to further devastating loss of life.
There is not enough food and water for people to survive. Bakeries have not been operational since 7 November and the only operative mill in Gaza remains unable to grind wheat due to a lack of electricity and fuel. Waste is accumulating in the streets and outside shelters for internally displaced persons, creating a high risk of airborne diseases and infestation of insects and rats.
Depression and anxiety levels were high even before the current conflict escalation. According to UN Women, 54 percent of men in Gaza showed signs of anxiety and depression before the current crisis.
The severity of the unfolding humanitarian crisis disproportionately affects women, girls and those most marginalized.
Gendered impact
War is gendered. Women, men and people with diverse gender identities are affected in different ways due to prevailing gender norms, roles and relations that impact the risks and vulnerabilities people face, during peacetime and in war. In emergencies and crises, gender inequality and gendered impacts are further exacerbated.
UN Women data as of 11 November shows that 7,533 women and children have been killed and 788,800 people have been displaced from their homes. A total of 2,056 women have become widowed as a result of Israeli bombardment, leaving them solely in charge of their households.
According to UNRWA data, 62% of those killed and injured are women and children.
“In emergencies and crises, gender inequality and gendered impacts are further exacerbated. ”
Sex, age and disability disaggregated data (SADDD), which is required for gender-responsive and inclusive planning and action, is scarce in Gaza. According to current estimates, people living with disabilities represent around 7% of the Gazan population and 1 out of every 5 households is headed by someone 65 years and older.
Even before the current escalation, women have been disproportionately affected by food insecurity and unemployment. LGBTQI+ persons face discrimination, limitations on their human rights and lack access to critical services.
Increased risks of gender-based violence
Gender-based violence (GBV) has been prevalent in Gaza, and has further intensified in recent weeks. During times of conflict and emergencies, gender-based violence, including sexual exploitation and abuse, always intensifies.
According to CARE, increased periods of conflict in Gaza have historically correlated with increased GBV cases, including forced marriage, sexual harassment, intimate partner violence, rape, denial of resources, and psychological abuse.
Large-scale population displacement and crowded living conditions lacking privacy pose serious protection and safety risks, especially for women and girls, further heightening GBV risks. UNRWA highlights a reported increase in household tensions and domestic violence and points to increased risks of child marriage as a coping mechanism. The compounded risk and effects of GBV are further worsened by the lack of support services for survivors, including functioning hotlines or services for clinical management of rape.
UN Women highlights that older women, especially those living with disabilities, will face high levels of violence and negligence.
180 women give birth every day
Access to emergency obstetric care, newborn care, and sexual and reproductive health services is restricted.
Over 50,000 women in Gaza are pregnant, with over 5,500 expected to give birth within the next month. Women lack access to safe delivery services as hospitals have stopped functioning properly, movement is dangerous and lifesaving basic supplies have ran out in Gaza.
Babies won’t wait for a ceasefire. Over 180 women give birth in Gaza every day. Women will die simply because they cannot get the life-saving help they would otherwise have access to if Israel was not bombing Gaza and its hospitals into rubble.
“Babies won’t wait for a ceasefire. Over 180 women give birth in Gaza every day. ”
Dire shelter, protection and mental health needs
Overcrowding in shelters housing internally displaced persons (IDPs) is a concern – according to UNRWA, the average number of IDPs in shelters is 9 times higher than their intended capacity. Around 160 people share one toilet. There is one shower unit for every 700 people.
Overcrowding means limited privacy for women and girls which also increases the risk of sexual and gender-based violence. In a situation where water and hygiene supplies are lacking, menstrual hygiene needs are not met which creates further risks of infections and disease.
Due to overcrowding, many men are reportedly sleeping outside to maximize indoor space for women and children. The risk of building damage due to air strikes increases the risk of fatalities among women and children while men staying outdoors are more exposed to the direct impacts of missile strikes.
Food and water are scarce for all. Women and children, especially pregnant and lactating women, are at an increased risk of under or malnutrition. Inadequate access to toilets, bathing spaces, and laundering services impacts women and girls mentally and socially, especially during menstruation.
CARE highlights that women-headed households, widows, older people, refugees, young people and people living with disabilities experience multiple intersectional vulnerabilities, specifically around access to food, mobility, poverty, education, protection and employment, and are disproportionately impacted by displacement and shocks.
The psychological and mental health impact of the unfolding crisis is severe. Frontline health workers and first responders are performing life-saving work under the most challenging circumstances. Parents in emergency shelters report increased levels of fear, anxiety, insecurity and panic attacks among children, some of whom have stopped talking.
Gender-responsive and inclusive humanitarian response
In the absence of humanitarian space, gender-responsive and inclusive humanitarian response is elusive. Immediate ceasefire and establishment of humanitarian access to facilitate entry of critical assistance, including water, food, fuel and medical supplies is paramount for saving lives and protecting those most vulnerable.
As a Gender and Inclusion Specialist working in some of the most devastating conflict and humanitarian settings, a remark I often face when advocating for gender-responsive and inclusive response to emergencies is “this is not urgent or essential”. The ethos often seems to be that focusing on other “more important” matters comes first, and gender and inclusion remains an afterthought or an “add-on”, often coming too late and amounting to too little.
“Humanitarian response cannot be effective unless it is carried out through a gender and inclusion lens. If the different needs, challenges and coping mechanisms of people of diverse genders, ages and abilities are not adequately analysed, understood and responded to, there will be further suffering.”
However, humanitarian response cannot be effective unless it is carried out through a gender and inclusion lens. If the different needs, challenges and coping mechanisms of people of diverse genders, ages and abilities are not adequately analysed, understood and responded to, there will be further suffering.
Humanitarian needs in Gaza are immense. The need for psychosocial support services will continue to soar in the coming weeks and months, especially for children and for health workers and humanitarian responders. Gender-responsive and safer shelter solutions are critical. Scaling up gender-based violence case management, referrals and support services for survivors is urgently needed. Hygiene and dignity kits for people who menstruate are required.
None of this urgent aid will reach those who need it the most in the absence of a ceasefire. All parties must comply with their obligations under international humanitarian law and facilitate the immediate entry of humanitarian and health supplies into Gaza. Humanitarian workers are currently operating in an impossible environment where international human rights law, humanitarian law and basic human dignity are not upheld.
Funding for the humanitarian response in Gaza and across the region must be prioritized, including adequate resources for sexual and reproductive health services, dignified menstrual and hygiene management, protection and GBV programming.
Immediate and unhindered access to healthcare and the continuity of essential health services, including sexual and reproductive health services must be ensured. Safety and protection concerns for women, girls and those most marginalized must be mainstreamed across all response efforts. Rapid scale up of mental health and psychosocial services is required.
“To ensure gender-responsive, inclusive and effective humanitarian response, we need to ensure the voices of women and those most marginalized are listened to. ”
As the scale of humanitarian response in Gaza and surrounding areas will increase, so will the need for mechanisms for preventing and responding to sexual exploitation, abuse and harassment. All actors involved, including staff, consultants and contractors of international organisations and non-governmental organisations, must be aware of their obligations to prevent and respond to sexual exploitation, harassment and abuse, including making available accessible and safe reporting and support mechanisms to affected people.
Support and investment to civil society organisations and networks led by women and those most marginalized, including LGBTQI+ groups, is paramount. They are often at the forefront of humanitarian response, organising aid distribution and needs assessments in their communities, risking their lives in helping others. Yet, far too often they are sidelined when it comes to more long-term, official reconstruction efforts, peacebuilding and peace negotiations.
“Support and investment to civil society organisations and networks led by women and those most marginalized, including LGBTQI+ groups, is paramount. ”
To ensure gender-responsive, inclusive and effective humanitarian response, we need to ensure the voices of women and those most marginalized are listened to. They must have a say in the way in which aid is organised and delivered. The meaningful participation of women in humanitarian and political processes must not be compromised.
In the face of staggering loss of lives, immense destruction and devastation and unimaginable human suffering, the international community cannot afford to stay silent. We need an immediate ceasefire. We need global leaders to take responsibility, call for an end to hostilities and speak up for those whose voices have been silenced and marginalized.
“What is currently unfolding in Gaza is already a full-blown humanitarian catastrophe of unimaginable proportions and suffering at scale. ”
The world can no longer wait to act. Gaza been described as being “in the grip of a human catastrophe” or in “precipice of a humanitarian catastrophe”. But what is currently unfolding in Gaza is already a full-blown humanitarian catastrophe of unimaginable proportions and suffering at scale, with devastating and disproportionate impacts on women and girls.
With every day that passes by without a ceasefire and meaningful action to halt the atrocities by all parties, more lives will be lost. Another child lost their life and another parent lost their child in Gaza during the time you to made it to the end of this article.
Ceasefire, now.
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Sini Ramo (she/her) is a Gender and Inclusion Specialist, currently based in Kyiv, Ukraine.