Early and forced marriages in Gaza are rising at an alarming pace, as war, mass displacement and the collapse of basic services push women and girls into even deeper insecurity. According to data published by UNFPA, reported cases in this category rose by 123% in the second quarter of the year alone, compared with the first quarter.
UN report points to rapid deterioration
The United Nations Population Fund warns of a worsening of gender-based violence in the Gaza Strip. The analysis is based on data collected by 10 humanitarian organizations and describes an environment in which women and girls face growing risks of sexual abuse, exploitation and forced marriage.
According to the report, girls aged 12 to 17 are among the cases of early and forced marriage. UNFPA representative in Palestine Nestor Owomuhangi described these developments as shocking, arguing that years of war, mass killings, destruction and repeated displacement have severely weakened social structures.
Accounts from the camps: marriage in exchange for food
Another UNFPA report, built on testimonies from 230 women in overcrowded camps in Gaza City and Khan Younis, documents numerous cases of violence and exploitation. Some of the testimonies describe cases in which rape victims are married to the perpetrators in order to avoid social stigma.
In one cited case, a father is reported to have married off his 14-year-old daughter in exchange for two sacks of flour during the period of famine. Other women recounted similar stories, describing this as a reality that, before the start of the war in 2023, would have been considered unimaginable.
Girls without parents and widowed women among the most at risk
According to the cited data, girls who lost their parents during the war are among the most exposed groups. In another testimony, a woman said that two girls in the family, aged 14 and 15, were married off by relatives after their parents were killed.
The report also underlines the risk for widowed women and for those whose husbands are detained or missing. Nearly one in four families in Gaza is now headed by a woman, almost double the pre-war level, which humanitarian organizations say further exposes them to economic pressure and abuse.
Sexual violence also rising, but underreporting remains a problem
According to the latest analysis by the UNFPA-led working group, cases of sexual violence in Gaza, including rape and sexual assault, have reached what it described as critical levels. From April to June 2026, they accounted for 2.7% of all reported gender-based violence cases, up from 2.1% in the previous quarter.
In absolute numbers, this translates into a 61% increase in reported cases. However, the organizations themselves acknowledge that the real scale may be larger, as sexual violence in Gaza remains deeply underreported because of fear of stigma, retaliation and social consequences.
Schools closed, camps unsafe and lack of basic conditions
The situation is also being worsened by the prolonged closure of schools and life in overcrowded camps. Around 700,000 children have lost the opportunity to regularly attend in-person classes for nearly three years, while humanitarian organizations say girls face heightened safety concerns and boys are under pressure to find informal work.
UN safety audits have identified particular risks for women and girls at night, to the point that many of them avoid using toilets and sanitation facilities. Humanitarian organizations are calling for improvements in shelter, lighting, sewage systems and access to health and education services, arguing that only in this way can the risks be meaningfully reduced.
UN and humanitarian organization reports show that in Gaza, not only is the war crisis deepening, but so is the social crisis, with women and girls paying the heaviest price.
Beyond the statistics, testimonies gathered on the ground highlight a reality in which survival is increasingly being used as a justification for child marriage, silence in the face of abuse and the disappearance of even the most minimal protections.