Another woman recounted: “My husband once went to an American distribution point to bring food home. He never returned. He was killed there by the occupying army. That is the fate that now hangs over every man who goes to get food. But as a woman, my burden is different. I cannot leave the children alone to stand in line.” Women also recounted being groped or pushed to the ground in stampedes, while frontline staff described “chaotic enclosures” where thousands were released at once to fight for limited food under live fire. A frontline worker responsible for aid distributions explained: “Large militarized sites mean stampedes, burns, theft, harassment, even gunfire… many women simply stop trying.” A widow in Rafah explained that she went five days without bread because she could not push through the crowd at the distribution point, surviving only on tea and boiled leaves with her children. One woman reported: “In some cases, if a woman goes to collect food from the enemy, she is seen as dishonorable. Some prefer to starve rather than face the shame. Yet even when women do attempt to reach militarized aid drops, they face deadly risks, some have been shot in the head and chest while trying to collect food.” As a mother of four in Khan Younis succinctly put it: “Food is not just scarce; it is death itself. The so-called distribution points have become graveyards.” Credit: SOH WOMEN AND GIRLS EXPERIENCE INTERSECTIONAL RISKS AND VULNERABILITIES Displacement into overcrowded shelters, the decimation of physical infrastructure, and the rise of female-headed households have created additional risks and vulnerabilities for women and girls experiencing food insecurity. Findings reveal that pregnant and breastfeeding women, women and girls with disabilities and chronic illnesses, and adolescent girls experience additional barriers to accessing food, as well as disproportionate health impacts of hunger and starvation. Overcrowded shelters and unsafe living conditions Within weeks of the onset of the war in October 2023, a rapid gender assessment estimated that approximately 493,000 internally displaced women and girls, including at least 3,000 widows, were facing severe food insecurity and heightened protection risks.43 By early 2024, Gaza was experiencing one of the largest forced displacement crises in modern history, with more than 1.93 million people, about 85 percent of the population displaced, including nearly one million women and girls.44 More than 99,000 displaced people are currently living in UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestine (UNRWA) schools and community shelters across Gaza, with many more in improvised camps or hosted in overcrowded family homes.45 14