The UN Population Fund has released multiple reports documenting a significant rise in gender-based violence against women and girls throughout the Gaza Strip. Analysis of data compiled by ten organizations indicates that the prolonged conflict has generated circumstances that expose women and girls to mounting dangers related to gender-based violence, with particular concern surrounding early and forced marriage incidents.
According to data collected in late 2025 and early 2026, reported cases of early and forced marriage increased by 123% when comparing the second quarter to the first quarter of this year. Interviews with 230 women residing in displacement camps across Gaza City and Khan Younis reveal disturbing patterns, including instances where rape victims are married to their attackers to protect family honor, and cases where economic desperation has driven families to arrange marriages in exchange for basic food supplies. Such exchanges were reportedly uncommon prior to the 2023 conflict.
Experts attribute the escalation to the breakdown of social structures caused by years of conflict that have resulted in mass displacement, widespread destruction, and the collapse of public services. Nestor Owomuhangi, the UNFPA representative to Palestine, notes that existing systems have effectively eroded, leaving no institutional framework to protect vulnerable populations. Girls orphaned during the conflict face particular vulnerability, with some families arranging marriages specifically to transfer financial responsibility.
Healthcare professionals and humanitarian workers document serious medical consequences associated with child marriage, noting that pregnancies among young adolescents result in higher rates of miscarriage and underweight births. Girls who become pregnant at young ages while experiencing hunger and poor sanitary conditions face compounded health risks. Educational disruptions have also intensified the problem, as school closures lasting years have removed girls from classroom settings while simultaneously increasing safety concerns in crowded displacement camps.
Gaza’s legal framework permits marriage with parental consent for individuals as young as 14 years and seven months, with judges able to authorize such unions. Officials note that legal safeguards in Islamic courts, which oversee family matters, were compromised when those courts closed during significant portions of the conflict.
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