Shocking increase in child marriages in Gaza, UN: Women and girls in deep security crisis

UNFPA warns of a worsening of gender-based violence in Gaza. Women and girls face increased risk from early marriages, sexual abuse, and exploitation, as war conditions have weakened social structures and public services.

A sharp increase in cases of violence against women and girls, including early and forced marriages, has been recorded in the Gaza Strip, according to recent reports from the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA).

An analysis of data collected from 10 humanitarian organizations warns that the prolonged crisis in Gaza has created conditions in which women and girls face ever-greater risks of gender-based violence.

According to the report, in the second quarter of this year reported cases of early and forced marriages increased by 123% compared to the first quarter. This category includes marriages of girls aged 12 to 17. “The trends are shocking,” said Nestor Owomuhangi, UNFPA representative in Palestine.

According to him, the extreme conditions created during the years of war, accompanied by the deaths of tens of thousands of people, massive destruction, and repeated displacements, have weakened social structures. “Everything has been eroded… there is no system anymore,” Owomuhangi said.

Orphaned girls especially at risk

Another UNFPA report, based on testimonies from 230 women living in overcrowded displacement camps in Gaza City and Khan Younis, documents numerous cases of violence and exploitation.

A displaced woman, interviewed in a school turned into a shelter, said that in some cases rape victims marry the perpetrators of violence to avoid shame and social stigmatization.

“When rape cases are discovered in schools, the next day you see weddings and celebrations in the same school,” she is quoted in the report.

Another woman told of a case during the hunger period when a father married off his 14-year-old daughter in exchange for two sacks of flour, in order to feed himself and the other children.

Six women in different displacement camps have shared similar stories. According to testimonies, these cases of exchanging girls’ marriage for food would have been unimaginable before the start of the war in 2023.

UNFPA emphasizes that data collection to determine the real scale of the phenomenon remains difficult, especially due to underreporting.

Girls who have lost their parents during the war are considered among the most exposed groups.

A woman interviewed in a camp in Gaza City said she had attended the marriage of two girls in the family, aged 14 and 15 respectively.

“Their uncles married them off very young. Do you know why? Because their father and mother were killed and the uncles wanted to remove the responsibility and expenses from themselves,” she said.

Early marriages and health consequences

The Palestinian organization Women’s Affairs Center, which cooperates with UNFPA, as well as other supporting organizations, have documented cases of girls married at a minor age who subsequently experienced violence and faced pregnancy.

According to humanitarian workers, girls in early adolescence face a higher risk of miscarriage and low birth weight babies compared to adult women.

“We are seeing that teenage pregnancies are increasing significantly due to child marriages,” Owomuhangi said.

He emphasized that pregnancy at an early age becomes especially dangerous when combined with malnutrition, poor hygiene conditions, and lack of health services.

The United Nations and most humanitarian organizations classify marriages of girls under the age of 18 as early marriages.

Even before the war, the phenomenon was more widespread in Hamas-run Gaza than in the West Bank, although it had been declining.

Girls lose school

Before the war, girls in Gaza had better educational outcomes than boys at levels above primary education. Now, after the prolonged closure of schools, many children have dropped out of education. For boys there is pressure to find informal work to help families, while girls face increased security concerns.

Around 700,000 children have been deprived of the opportunity to attend regular in-person schooling for nearly three years.

In the conditions of overcrowded camps, lack of privacy, and living alongside strangers, humanitarian organizations also report increased concerns about sexual harassment and abuse.

For some families, marrying off girls is seen as a way to protect them and to preserve norms of modesty in a conservative society.

Reports of sexual violence increase

Sexual violence in Gaza continues to be greatly underreported, mainly due to fear of stigma, revenge, and social consequences.

Security audits conducted by the UN have highlighted particular risks for women and girls at night. For this reason, many of them avoid using toilets and sanitation facilities in displacement camps.

According to the latest analysis of a working group led by UNFPA, cases of sexual violence, including rape and sexual assault, have become “critical” in Gaza.

From April to June 2026, they accounted for 2.7% of all reported cases of gender-based violence, compared to 2.1% in the previous quarter. In absolute numbers, this represented a 61% increase in reported cases.

Humanitarian organizations say that part of the increase may also be linked to improved reporting mechanisms, increased awareness, and the creation of more confidential ways to report cases.

Demographic data show that the majority of survivors were women aged 18-59. Adolescent girls accounted for 8%, while adult men 5%.

Particularly at risk are widows, as well as women whose husbands are arrested or missing.

According to data cited in the report, almost one in four households in Gaza is now headed by a woman, about double the percentage recorded before the war. A woman interviewed in Gaza City told of the case of a widow who was seeking a tent to shelter her family.

“A camp representative told her: ‘I will give you a tent, I will place you in our camp and you can come and stay with me tonight,’” she said.

Humanitarian conditions, key factor for security

Humanitarian organizations argue that the risks faced by women and girls can be significantly reduced through improving living conditions.

Among the requested measures are allowing the entry into Gaza of better-quality shelters, equipment for improving toilets and sewage systems, as well as lighting of public spaces.

Israel restricts the entry of certain products and equipment it considers to have dual-use potential, civil and military.

Meanwhile, humanitarian organizations are trying to improve access to education and health services, while long-term campaigns against domestic violence and child marriages have also been planned.

For many women in Gaza, the war has irreversibly changed their lives. Nevertheless, they hope that improving living conditions and the restoration of basic services will enable them to at least feel safer in the future.