UN Women has been documenting the experiences of women in Gaza in a series of gender alerts that look at various aspects of how the war is impacting the daily lives of women and girls, including food, water, shelter, health, and protection. This new alert focuses on water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH) services, which are integral to women’s health, dignity, safety, and privacy.

The document, titled "GiHA Accountability Framework Report - August 2023," outlines a comprehensive accountability framework for Gender in Humanitarian Action (GiHA) in the context of the Occupied Palestinian Territory (OPT). This framework is designed to ensure that humanitarian efforts in the OPT prioritize gender equality and women's empowerment. The report details the specific outcomes, outputs, and indicators that are part of this framework, emphasizing the importance of integrating gender considerations into all aspects of humanitarian action, from planning and coordination to funding and program implementation. It recognizes that the ongoing political crisis in the OPT poses significant challenges, particularly for women and girls, and aims to address these challenges through targeted gender-sensitive approaches. The document underscores the need for a holistic and consistent approach to gender in humanitarian action and highlights the critical role of women and girls in shaping humanitarian planning and decision-making processes.

On 17 and 18 November 2022, UN Women and the General Union of Palestinian Women (GUPW) organized the Open Day Dialogue in commemoration of the 22nd anniversary of UN Security Resolution (UNSCR) 1325 on Women, Peace and Security (WPS). The Open Day Dialogue is an annual flagship event promoted by UN Women Palestine that welcomes national stakeholders, civil society organizations and coalitions, academics, independent researchers and international actors. National and international experts with decisionmakers came together, with the objective of reflecting and deliberating on the implementation of the WPS agenda in Palestine and its connection with the Youth, Peace and Security (YPS) Agenda and the Humanitarian-Development-Peace (HDP) nexus. The event was made possible through generous funding of the government of Norway.

Under CERF programme, UN Women Palestine examined the various results produced by the different interventions provided to women at risk or surviving GBV and how UN Women’s approach to strengthening resilience improves not only their overall resilience but also improves their wellbeing and perceptions on gender equality, reduces their tolerance to GBV, increases their decision making inside their households and improves their livelihoods. The project was implemented in the Gaza Strip and the West Bank. UN Women’s hypothesis is that protection and livelihoods support to women at risk or exposed to GBV will yield deeper and long-lasting equality outcomes and will have a spill over effect across multiple domains in a woman’s life. The objective of this monitoring exercise was to generate evidence on the multiple dimensional impact of UN Women’s programmes/assistance on women’s livelihoods, wellbeing, tolerance to GBV and decision-making.

This report assesses WLOs/WROs roles in humanitarian action and proposes action-oriented recommendations (aimed at informing UN Women’s approach and strategy) tailored to the specific context of the oPt to strengthen the participation and leadership of WLOs/WROs in humanitarian coordination, preparedness and response. Furthermore, this analysis aims to identify challenges and opportunities in strengthening the role and leadership of WLOs/WROs in humanitarian action in the Palestinian context. It intends to bolster their role in the HCT in supporting humanitarian planning, design, coordination, advocacy, financing and partnership building with the long-term, strategic objective of ensuring that humanitarian action in Palestine is gender responsive, localized, equitable and timely.

This case study is part of a series of case studies prepared to showcase the inspiring work in the field of Gender Equality and Women’s Empowerment (GEWE) by Women Empowerment Principals (WEPs) signatories to contribute to the knowledge sharing platform of good practices that can be useful for private sector companies working towards GEWE and the implementation of WEPs. This case study highlights how a Palestinian bank created a programme to achieve GEWE, which falls under Principle 5.

This study sought to identify trends, dynamics, and critical perspectives in order to strengthen the design, planning and implementation of WFP programmes, including supporting gender mainstreaming and women’s empowerment to ensure that the different needs, priorities, voices, and vulnerabilities of women, men, boys, and girls are taken into consideration.

In 2000, the UN Security Council Resolution 1325 (UNSCR 1325) established the global agenda for mainstreaming gender in peace and security -the Women, Peace and Security (WPS) agenda. UNSCR 1325 has been followed by nine additional resolutions. These resolutions outline UN and state obligations related to the needs and priorities of women and girls affected by conflict as well as to ensure that peace is brokered in an inclusive and sustainable manner. In March 2021, The State of Palestine endorsed the second National Action Plan (PALNAP). The PALNAP identifies the priorities for the implementation of UNSCR 1325 in Palestine and is based on four pillars: 1) protection and prevention; 2) accountability; 3) participation; and 4) relief and recovery. UN Women organized an Open Day/High Level Dialogue on Women, Peace and Security (WPS) from 19 to 20 October 2021 in Gaza City.

This case study is part of a series of case studies prepared to showcase the inspiring work in the field of Gender Equality and Women’s Empowerment by the Women Empowerment Principles (WEPs) corporate signatories in Palestine to contribute to the knowledge sharing platform of good practices that can be useful for private sector companies working towards gender equality and women’s empowerment and the implementation of WEPs. This case study showcases how a Palestinian bank created a programme to achieve gender equality and women’s empowerment, which falls under Principle 5 “Enterprise development, supply chain and marketing practices”.

On 13 April 2021, the beginning of the fasting month of Ramadan, unrest began in East Jerusalem after the Israeli authorities installed metal barriers outside the Damascus Gate, blocking access to a public area for Palestinians. Although relative calm was restored with the removal of the metal obstacles on 25 April, tensions were also heightened by the Israeli authorities’ imminent eviction of four extended Palestinian refugee families from their homes in the Sheikh Jarrah neighbourhood, located in occupied East Jerusalem. The United Nations Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) has stated that the evictions, if ordered and implemented, would violate Israel’s obligations under international law. Palestinians held daily protests in Sheikh Jarrah in support of the families, triggering confrontations with Israeli settlers and Israeli security forces. Between 7 and 10 May, widespread clashes erupted across East Jerusalem, particularly around the Al Aqsa Mosque and the Damascus Gate.

The COVID-19 pandemic exacerbated the socio-economic crisis in State of Palestine in which women have suffered more than men in almost all aspects of their labour-market participation and wellbeing. More than one in every two critical workers in health and education is a woman. In these sectors, increased working hours to fight the spread of the virus revealed one line of pandemic burden that fell disproportionately on women.

When on 15 January 2021 Palestinian legislative elections were announced, the new year started out on a note of tentative hope. Palestinian women and youth who have had little to no opportunities in their lifetime to cast votes or run for office could not help but get energized. Just a few months later, by late May 2021, any optimism about the new year was gone. By this point, not only had elections been postponed indefinitely, but 256 people (23 girls, 43 boys, 40 women and 150 men) had been killed during the Israeli bombing of Gaza and dozens of families in Sheik Jarrah, Silwan and elsewhere continued to be at risk of imminent eviction from their homes.

In April 2021, young Palestinian activist and journalist Muna el-Kurd caught the global attention when she started an international movement with the launch of the hashtag #SaveSheikhJarrah and tirelessly mobilized online support for families facing eviction from their homes in East Jerusalem. She addressed mainstream media and appeared in front of the UN Human Rights Commission. Other women as well took active part in Sheikh Jarrah’s residents’ meetings, attended hearing sessions at the Israeli courts, organized to keep a street presence in the neighbourhood and provided refreshments for solidarity activists. Meanwhile, Palestinian women journalists were at the frontline reporting the events, with reports of some of them enduring physical assault and arrest as a consequence.

The COVID-19 pandemic exacerbated the socio-economic crisis in State of Palestine in which women have suffered more than men in almost all aspects of their labour-market participation and wellbeing. Women more persistently lost jobs than men, particularly in the personal services, accommodation, and trade sectors.

The May 2021 escalation of hostilities in Gaza and the COVID-19 pandemic have reinforced pressures facing women, girls, boys and men in the OPT. Women and girls are already disproportionately impacted by gender norms and pre-existing inequalities.This Gender Alert, produced thanks to funding from the Government of Norway, tackles such inequalities.

Gender-Sensitive Resilience Capacity Index: Gender-Responsive Management and Response to the COVID-19 Pandemic in the Arab States Region: From Emergency Response to Recovery and Resilience - Palestine

The Guidance Note, produced through funding by the Government of Japan, includes practical tools and detailed recommendations to help stakeholders roll out high quality and gender-responsive CVA interventions.

Past Gaza wars provide valuable lessons on gender specific needs and vulnerabilities which should guide the humanitarian response to the current crisis in Gaza, according to a new analysis by UN Women.

Clinical Management of Rape in the State of Palestine in the Framework of COVID-19