Radio Cadena Agramonte emisiora de Camagüey
Ramallah, July 16 – The Israeli aggression against Gaza not only killed entire families, but also caused pandemics, poverty, and mass population displacement, the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) denounced today.
Added to this are crises in social and health services, which are increasing stress levels within homes, leading to an increase in domestic violence, sexual exploitation, and abuse, the agency said in a statement.
“We are working in extremely difficult conditions (…) There are not enough safe spaces for women and their children,” warned Suhair, who provides assistance at a shelter located in Deir El-Balah governorate.
We provide services over the phone because survivors can't reach safe spaces, the activist said, as quoted in the text.
According to the agency, repeated forced displacements, movement restrictions, and a prolonged lack of fuel and electricity also make it more difficult to help the population there.
Many resort to child labor and forced marriage to cope with devastating levels of hunger, she stressed.
Women experience great hardships, including the death or imprisonment of family members, agreed Ibtisam, 58 years old.
The woman emphasized that searching for water and food all day long, living without privacy and constantly worrying is exhausting.
More than 714,000 people, a third of Gaza's population, have been forced to move again in the past three months, while families are separated and the local support structures they once relied on have collapsed, the Fund explained.
The organization emphasized that "women and girls, in particular, describe the fear they feel on the streets, at aid drop-off points, and in makeshift shelters."
The repeated displacement has created deep instability and insecurity, as the airstrikes never truly stop, explained Amal, who works at a UNFPA-supported women's aid center.
A mother of three, she was displaced four times and lost ten family members when her home was bombed.
“The pain and loss were overwhelming, but I continued working, providing psychological support to women to ease their suffering. As a working woman, I face the additional burden of trying to balance the demands of my family with my responsibilities outside the home,” she said.
With the collapse of the health, social, and justice systems, many survivors are unable to report abuse or seek care, which exacerbates their trauma and perpetuates impunity, the agency warned. (Source: Prensa Latina)
