The BRICS TimesA new UN Women report exposes the staggering human cost of Israel’s Gaza war on women and girls. It covers everything from skyrocketing death tolls and reproductive violence to the collapse of household structures and barriers to essential healthcare. Women are carrying an overwhelming and unequal burden of this conflict.
Over 38,000 women and girls killed since October 2023
A newly released UN Women report paints a devastating picture of what the Gaza war has cost women and girls. More than 38,000 women and girls lost their lives in Gaza between October 2023 and December 2025. That works out to roughly 47 women and girls killed every single day over that two-year span.
This number accounts for more than half of the total deaths recorded by Gaza’s Ministry of Health (MoH). The MoH has logged 71,200 fatalities in total since Israel launched its military offensive in Gaza. That offensive began as a direct response to the Hamas-led attack on southern Israel on October 7, 2023.
“Women, children, and older persons together represent more than half of all fatalities,” the report states. It also warns that the real death toll is almost certainly much higher. Recovering bodies from under rubble remains extremely difficult. Health and reporting systems have largely broken down, making accurate tracking nearly impossible.
The data also reveals a grim pattern. Spikes in female and child deaths closely matched moments of large-scale destruction of civilian infrastructure. The destruction of homes, schools, and shelters was heaviest during the earliest phase of the war. The report further estimates that close to 11,000 women and girls in Gaza now live with a lifelong disability as a direct result of the conflict.
The hidden impact of war on women and girls
Despite a ceasefire agreement being in place, conditions on the ground remain extremely dangerous. More than 750 Palestinians have been killed and over 2,000 injured in Gaza since the truce came into effect in October. Both Israel and Hamas have accused each other of violating the ceasefire terms.
Beyond the death toll, the report highlights just how broadly and deeply the war has harmed women and girls. They face threats that go far beyond physical violence.
“What we’re seeing is quite a large escalation of conflicts that we haven’t experienced since the 1990s, […] and women and girls are specifically and disproportionately affected,” said Sofia Calltorp, UN Women Chief of Humanitarian Action.
“Beyond the sheer violence [in Gaza], we have the collapse of the very system that women and girls depend on for their survival,” Calltorp added.
The ceasefire was expected to open up humanitarian aid routes into Gaza. However, only limited supplies have actually entered the territory. Many residents still face critical shortages of food and medicine. For women specifically, basic menstrual hygiene products like sanitary pads remain largely out of reach.
Much of Gaza has been reduced to rubble. This includes hospitals, maternity wards, and fertility clinics. UN Women describes the impact on reproductive health as “systemic reproductive violence.” Women and girls have been severely cut off from sexual and reproductive healthcare services.
Rise in women-led households
The war has also dramatically changed how Gaza’s families are structured. Many women suddenly find themselves heading their households entirely alone. According to UN Women, over 58,600 households in Gaza now have women as their primary leader. That represents about 14% of all households, up from just 9% in 2023.
Calltorp described the extraordinary weight women are now carrying daily. They must secure income, find food, and look after children and elderly relatives all at once. She recalled visiting a displacement centre in northern Gaza, where she met a group of women who were “struggling from the very morning to the very end of the day.”
“That kind of daily struggle for a woman who has not [previously] been head of a household and is now doing so in the midst of the ruins is quite stark,” Calltorp said.
Over 1.9 million Palestinians have been displaced, often multiple times. A joint assessment by the World Bank, United Nations, and European Union found that nearly 60% of Gaza’s population has lost their homes entirely.
Women-headed households face an even steeper uphill battle. They are more likely to be displaced than male-headed households. They also face serious barriers related to housing and land rights.
“Women do not have the same legal rights as men, for example when it comes to property rights,” Calltorp told reporters. “I met with one woman who was a widow, and for her to get the legal entitlement of her land and her house was extremely complicated because it was all linked to her deceased husband.”
The joint assessment also found that over 50% of hospitals in Gaza are currently non-functional. Nearly all schools have been damaged or completely destroyed.
“Loss of education affects boys and girls differently, exacerbating gender inequalities,” the UN Women report states. When girls lose access to schooling, the consequences are particularly severe. It can lock them into traditional gender roles, deepen economic dependence, and limit their future opportunities.
UN Women is now calling for full implementation of the ceasefire in line with international law and human rights standards. It also urges immediate and unobstructed delivery of humanitarian aid, along with gender-responsive recovery and reconstruction efforts.
Women’s role in response and recovery
Even amid the ruins, women are proving to be powerful forces of resilience and community survival.
“We need to ensure that women and girls are placed at the centre of response and recovery efforts,” Calltorp said. She highlighted the critical role that women’s civil society groups and women-led organisations play during and after conflict.
She recalled meeting a woman in Gaza whose entire home had been demolished. The woman had set up a small cooking operation right in front of where her house once stood. She cooked for her neighbours to earn a small income. At the same time, she was helping keep her community alive.
The communal kitchen was a husband-and-wife initiative. They used debris from their own destroyed home, including doors and windows, to fuel the oven fire.
“To support women-led organisations in Gaza is really one of the most effective and important things we can do to meet the immediate needs, but also for long-term recovery and peace-building,” Calltorp concluded.
