The numbers are glaring, yet they offer only a partial picture of the lived realities in Gaza, particularly for women and girls. Due to continuous displacement and rapidly changing conditions, genderdisaggregated data is extremely limited. The data that does exist is fragmented, resulting in a lack of cohesive narrative of the worsening situation for women and girls in Gaza. History clearly tells us that women and girls are disproportionately impacted by food insecurity and famine, with long-term, intergenerational consequences.19 20 21 To limit the devastating impact of food insecurity and famine in Gaza, there is an urgent need to understand how women and girls are experiencing, navigating, and affected by this crisis. RESEARCH OBJECTIVES AND SCOPE This report was conceived of in May 2025 in response to escalating aid restrictions and the introduction of militarized food distribution mechanisms in Gaza. Originally intended as a rapid gender analysis of food insecurity, the objective and scope of the report evolved to respond to the rapidly deteriorating situation in Gaza. When data collection began in early August 2025, the research objectives had expanded, with the aim of providing an indepth understand of how women and girls in Gaza experience, navigate, and are disproportionately impacted by starvation, famine, and the collapse of essential support systems. Drawing on secondary data, key informant interviews (KIIs) with international NGO (INGO) staff, and frontline workers, as well as testimonies from women in Gaza, this report illustrates how famine is unfolding for women, particularly in terms of hunger and starvation, limited access to aid, intersecting vulnerabilities, and long-term physical and mental health impacts. The report’s findings provide a rare window into the lived realities of food insecurity and famine, with personal and expert insights from frontline and international humanitarian workers. Women’s testimonies are set alongside institutional data to capture the gender dimensions of macro-level trends. In doing so, this report provides actionable evidence for policymakers and humanitarian actors and offers recommendations for urgent relief, protection, and long-term recovery that center the voices, needs, and leadership of Gaza’s women. Credit: SOH 8