The United Nations agency for gender equality, UN Women, sounded the alarm on Friday over the dire humanitarian situation facing women and girls in Gaza, warning that the so-called “ceasefire” has done little to alleviate the deep suffering left in the wake of months of Israeli aggression.

According to the agency, over one million women and girls in Gaza require immediate food assistance, while nearly a quarter of a million urgently need life-saving nutritional support. Despite the temporary lull in bombardment, the UN says famine is already taking root in parts of the besieged enclave.

“We hope the ceasefire lasts. We can’t say we’re fully at peace, but we hope they don’t go back on their words this time, we really can’t bear it anymore,” said a 22-year-old university student from Gaza, whose voice was shared by UN Women Geneva Office Director Sofia Calltorp during a press briefing.

Her plea, the UN official said, reflects the collective exhaustion, fragile hope, and quiet resilience of Gaza’s women, who have borne the brunt of the war’s devastation.

A Crisis Beyond the Ceasefire

UN Women emphasized that the humanitarian catastrophe in Gaza remains far from over. While limited quantities of food, water, and medicine have begun trickling in, the scale of destruction, displacement, and deprivation remains staggering.

“For months, women in Gaza lived under constant bombardment, killed at a rate of roughly two every hour,” the agency said. “The ceasefire may have paused the bombing, but it has not ended the crisis.”

Most women in Gaza, the statement noted, have been displaced at least four times since the beginning of the war. Entire neighborhoods lie in ruins, winter is fast approaching, and hundreds of thousands remain without adequate shelter or food.

Women on the Frontlines of Survival

The UN agency revealed that one in seven families in Gaza is now led by a woman, often widowed or left to care for orphans after their husbands, brothers, or fathers were martyred in Israeli attacks.

“These women need aid that reaches them directly — so they can feed their children, access healthcare, rebuild their livelihoods, and restore a sense of stability after losing everything,” said Calltorp.

The agency hailed Gaza’s women as the backbone of the strip’s survival, describing them as the “architects of Gaza’s recovery” who, even amid famine and fear, have continued to sustain life through sheer determination.

Rebuilding Through Women

UN Women underscored that the path to Gaza’s reconstruction must be led by its women. The organization called for placing women and girls at the center of humanitarian and recovery efforts, warning that failure to do so would risk excluding them from the future of their own homeland.

“Every woman who rebuilds a bakery, a clinic, or a classroom, is rebuilding peace,” Calltorp stated. “Every dollar invested in women-led aid is a down payment on hope.”

According to UN data, each $1 invested in women-led recovery generates an $8 return for entire communities — a powerful case for funding women’s organizations that have continued their vital work throughout the war, even under siege.

Appeal for Immediate Action

UN Women is currently coordinating with the UN system and humanitarian partners to ensure that aid reaches women safely and equitably. Yet, the agency warned that without urgent funding and international accountability, the ceasefire’s “window of hope” could close as swiftly as it opened.

“All parties must uphold the ceasefire fully and without delay,” Calltorp urged. “Member States must step up funding now. If we are true about peace, we must restore it through women. And if we are true about our shared humanity, we must act now — not when the headlines fade, but while hope still flickers in the eyes of women and girls in Gaza.”

A Call to the World’s Conscience

While international attention shifts elsewhere, Gaza’s women continue to hold together what remains of life amid the rubble. Their resilience, UN Women stressed, is a reminder that true peace cannot exist without justice and recovery for the women who have kept Gaza alive through hunger, grief, and unrelenting loss.

As the ceasefire teeters and the blockade tightens once more, the fate of Gaza’s women — and the future of its children — now rest in the hands of a world that must decide whether to let hope live or die beneath the ruins. (ILKHA)