Restricted Lives: Women’s Voices Under Blockade in Gaza

UN Women in cooperation with humanitarian sectors and clusters has developed a collection of women’s stories under blockade in Gaza. The stories aim to give a voice to women in Gaza who suffer the consequences of violence, poverty and limited access to services. The stories are collected to humanize women’s experiences and to depict the nature of their needs under each of the humanitarian sectors and clusters (Health, Education, Food Security, Shelter, Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH), and Protection). What the stories have collectively presented is how women’s lives intertwine with the political reality in Gaza, where the political violence becomes interconnected with domestic violence and deprivation of basic rights. The stories also depict how women face structural barriers in accessing services while their needs are complex and mounting in nature. UN Women hopes that women’s voices will shape and inform the humanitarian response in the oPt to become more gender-sensitive and multi-sectoral, while also promoting the benefit and meaningful participation of Palestinian women and girls.