The Israeli war has intensified pre-existing levels of gender-based violence (GBV). Factors such as poverty, intra-family conflicts, negative coping mechanisms, and displacement have led to increased incidents of GBV including intimate partner violence, emotional violence, and sexual violence. Simultaneously, access to GBV response services is extremely limited and became more challenging after the Israeli Rafah offensive, leading to the collapse of the existing limited services. There is almost no capacity or space for comprehensive case management, psychosocial support/counselling, medical care, or safe sheltering to respond to the majority of GBV cases coupled with a collapse of policing and judicial systems to report incidents.
Among the numerous competing priorities for response, the urgent need to support women’s rights organisations (WRO) and women-led organisations (WLO) in Gaza is paramount. Prior to October, 2023, these organisations were at the forefront of GBV prevention interventions and the provision of GBV response services. Their role has become even more critical as the Israel’s war on Gaza deepens.
