In the battered landscape of Gaza, where the war that erupted in 2023 continues to upend daily life, a new and deeply troubling crisis has emerged in the shadows of humanitarian aid distribution. Women, already grappling with the devastation of displacement and hunger, now face a harrowing choice: endure sexual exploitation or risk their families’ survival.
For a 38-year-old mother of six, the lines between hope and horror blurred when a man offered her a lifeline—a job with an aid organization, a chance to support her children after her business collapsed and her husband left. Instead of paperwork and employment, the promise led her to an empty apartment, where, as she recounted to The Associated Press, he coerced her into sex. “He told me he loved me and wouldn’t force me to do anything,” she said. “But he wouldn’t let me leave.” Afterward, he handed her 100 shekels (about $30) and some food. The job he dangled in front of her never materialized. “I had to pretend to accept it, because I was scared, I just wanted to get out of there,” she remembered.
Her story is not an isolated one. Six women, all requesting anonymity out of fear of reprisal and the heavy stigma attached to such experiences in Gaza’s conservative society, shared similar accounts with the AP. Some described men linked to aid distribution making direct demands—“Let me touch you”—while others encountered subtler forms of coercion, with men suggesting marriage or proposing they “go somewhere together.” Aid organizations and human rights experts say such exploitation is a grim reality in conflict zones, with similar patterns documented in South Sudan, Burkina Faso, Congo, Chad, and Haiti.
The scale of the crisis in Gaza is staggering. According to the Gaza Health Ministry, more than 66,000 Palestinians have been killed since the war began in 2023, with women and children making up about half of the victims. The ongoing Israeli offensive and blockade have displaced at least 90% of the population, making daily survival a desperate struggle. As the humanitarian situation worsens, so too does the vulnerability of women and girls.
Four Palestinian psychologists interviewed by the AP reported handling dozens of cases involving sexual abuse and exploitation, some resulting in pregnancies. “It is a horrific reality that humanitarian crises leave people vulnerable in many ways—sexual violence is often a consequence,” said Heather Barr, deputy women’s rights director at Human Rights Watch. “The situation in Gaza today is unbearable, especially for women and girls.” The psychologists, all working with local organizations, emphasized the difficulty in addressing these cases due to cultural taboos and the risk of further victimization.
Despite the mounting reports, the true extent of the problem remains obscured. “The data we have is just the tip of the iceberg,” said Sarah Achiro, coordinator of the Protection from Sexual Exploitation and Abuse (PSEA) network, which collaborates with various aid organizations, including United Nations agencies. In 2024, the PSEA network received 18 complaints of sexual abuse related to humanitarian aid in Gaza, all involving aid workers or their associates. Achiro noted that poor internet connectivity and constant displacement make it even harder to help victims and build trust. “Sexual violence is very underreported, especially in times of war,” she explained.
The barriers to reporting are formidable. One 35-year-old widow recounted receiving late-night phone calls from a man in a UNRWA uniform after giving him her number at an aid site in October 2024. The calls quickly turned sexual. When she lodged a verbal complaint with UNRWA, she was told recordings were needed as evidence, but her phone couldn’t provide them. Juliette Touma, UNRWA’s communications director, told the AP that the agency has a “zero-tolerance policy for sexual exploitation,” does not require proof to file complaints, and takes every report seriously. However, she declined to discuss individual cases, citing privacy concerns.
Women’s rights organizations and psychologists say the crisis has sharply escalated since the war began. “Before the war, reports of exploitation occurred once or twice a year, but now they have increased dramatically,” said Amal Syam, director of the Center for Women’s Issues. Many organizations, she added, avoid publishing numbers or addressing the issue openly. “Most of us prefer to focus on the violence and violations committed by the Israeli occupation,” Syam said.
The women’s stories reveal a pattern of exploitation that often begins during the process of registering for aid. Men—sometimes in uniforms of aid agencies, sometimes as local leaders—collect women’s phone numbers and later use them to initiate contact. The mother of six described how, after the initial incident, the man continued to harass her with late-night calls and requests for photos. She never reported him, fearing disbelief and further shame. “I told myself that no one would believe me,” she said. “Maybe they would say I was making it up just to get a job.”
Another woman, a 29-year-old mother, described receiving repeated calls from an aid worker who offered food for her four children in exchange for marriage—a euphemism, she believed, for sex. She refused and blocked his number, but he persisted, calling from new numbers and making vulgar comments. “I felt completely humiliated,” she told the AP. “I had to go and ask for help for my children. If I didn’t do it, who would?”
Humanitarian organizations acknowledge the crisis but say the chaos of war and the massive displacement of people have made aid delivery—and the monitoring of abuses—almost impossible. The Center for Women’s Issues and the PSEA network both confirm they are aware of cases of sexual exploitation linked to aid distribution. Aid agencies point to Israel’s blockade and military operations as the root cause of the humanitarian crisis, arguing that these conditions force women into impossible choices. Israel, for its part, denies restricting aid, accuses Hamas of diverting supplies, and blames UN agencies for distribution failures. UN officials reject claims of widespread diversion, maintaining that the vast majority of aid reaches those in need.
For many women, the shame and fear associated with reporting abuse are compounded by the risk of retaliation from family members or husbands. Psychologists report that some women have been thrown out of their homes after their husbands learned of the abuse. The result is a climate of silence, where most victims suffer alone, and the true scale of the crisis remains hidden.
Even as the war rages on, women in Gaza insist their stories must be heard. Their experiences, though painful, shed light on a grim facet of the humanitarian catastrophe unfolding in the enclave. As one survivor put it, the choice between dignity and survival is no choice at all—yet for many, it’s the only one left.
