As Gaza's humanitarian crisis grows, some women say they were exploited by men promising food, money, water, supplies or work in exchange for sexual interaction.
Six women described their experiences, speaking on condition of anonymity for fear of retribution from their families or the men, and because sexual harassment and assault are considered taboo topics in a conservative culture where having sex outside of marriage is seen as a grave offense.
Psychologists and aid groups also spoke about the accounts of women in Gaza; an increase of reports in exploitation, even as data is hard to gather; and the growing desperation that is driving women in particular to make impossible decisions.
Women's experiences
The six women who spoke about solicitation attempts said the men's demands or requests sometimes were blatant: "Let me touch you," one woman recalled being told. Other times, it was culturally coded: "I want to marry you," or "Let's go together somewhere."
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Several women said men promised food, water, a tent or a job in soliciting them. The women said they were desperate to feed their children. Some were single mothers and had no way to support their families. Several ran out of food.
Some women said the men identified as aid workers and took their phone numbers when they went to register for assistance, later calling and attempting to exploit them.
Most of the women said they did not give in to the men's demands. One said she had a sexual interaction with a man who promised her help and, afterward, he provided some money and other aid and eventually helped her get a job.
Several women said they weren't able to identify which aid group the men seemed to be associated with.
The U.N. and aid groups generally work with communities, paying people as contractors, using volunteers or having leaders appointed by the community as liaisons. The U.N. says it has a zero-tolerance policy for sexual exploitation.
Four psychologists working with women in Gaza also described patients' accounts.
One said her organization -- focused on protecting women and children -- treated dozens of cases involving men sexually exploiting vulnerable women, including some in which they became pregnant. The psychologists, all Palestinians working for organizations in Gaza, spoke on condition of anonymity because of privacy concerns for the women involved and the sensitive nature of the cases.
Prevalent in conflict
Aid groups and experts say exploitation often arises during conflicts and other times of desperation, particularly when people are displaced and reliant on assistance. Reports of abuse and exploitation also emerged during emergencies in South Sudan, Burkina Faso, Congo, Chad and Haiti.
The groups cite the context in Gaza after nearly two years of war -- the displacement of at least 90% of the population to cramped makeshift camps, Israel's military operations and turmoil over aid access -- and say it made humanitarian work for vulnerable people particularly challenging and the documentation of exploitation cases difficult.
As hunger and desperation spread, women in particular say they were pushed to make impossible decisions.
"Israel's siege on the Gaza Strip and the restrictions on humanitarian aid are what's forcing women to resort to this," said Amal Syam, director of the Women's Affairs Center, a local Palestinian group.
Israel claims there are no restrictions on aid and says it took steps to expand what comes into Gaza.
Cases on the rise
Though many women say they're afraid to speak up, psychologists and women's groups said cases increased as the crisis worsened.
Six human rights and relief organizations -- including the Women's Affairs Center and the Protection from Sexual Exploitation and Abuse network, which coordinates with various aid groups including United Nations agencies -- said they were aware of reports of sexual abuse and exploitation linked to receiving aid.
Syam said exploitation reports happened once or twice a year before the war but now are up dramatically. She said many organizations won't highlight the numbers or the issue.
"Most of us prefer to keep the focus on the violence and violations committed by the Israeli occupation," Syam said.
Israel says it is fighting to dismantle the Hamas militant group and free the hostages taken in the 2023 attack that sparked the war, and insists it mitigates civilian harm as much as possible.
The PSEA network said last year, it received about 18 allegations of sexual abuse and exploitation linked to receiving humanitarian aid in Gaza. The network wouldn't indicate how many of the cases were investigated, saying it can't disclose information unless they are formally concluded.
Sexual violence is vastly underreported, particularly in humanitarian and conflict settings, noted PSEA network coordinator Sarah Achiro.
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