The dangers are palpable for pregnant women in Gaza. One pregnant woman described the
compounding impact of displacement, food insecurity, and pregnancy:
“I had not planned to get pregnant during the war, it happened, and now I am in the final
trimester. Pregnancy should be a joy, but in Gaza it feels like fear and hunger. My home was
bombed, I have been displaced many times, and now I move between overcrowded shelters
and rented rooms. This is my first pregnancy, and instead of feeling safe or cared for, I live
with malnutrition, anemia, and constant fear.”
Women and girls living with disabilities and chronic illness
KII participants repeatedly noted that women and girls with disabilities are systematically deprived of
essential resources. One disability expert in Gaza explained: “Without accessible lines, devices, or escorts,
women and girls with disabilities don’t get food at all.” War injuries have driven a sharp rise in disability in
Gaza, compounding pre-existing exclusion. WHO estimates 3,105 to 4,050 limb amputations and tens of
thousands of severe limb, spinal, and brain injuries since October 2023.54
Disability-related challenges are magnified by Israel’s restrictions on aid distributions of assistive
devices and parts.55 In many cases, the limited assistive devices available are shared between multiple
users or repurposed to carry food and water over long distances during displacement, further
compromising the mobility and autonomy of those with physical impairments. One woman with a
disability recognized her situation as a double burden:
“Both men and women suffer the same exhaustion, the same weakness, and the same hunger.
What makes my experience heavier is that I live it not only as a woman but also as a woman
with a disability. It is a double burden. Standing in aid lines is harder, moving for water is
harder, and everything takes more strength than I have. The system starves us slowly and
strips us of dignity.”
A young woman with a disability said: “As a woman with a disability it is impossible for me to go to the
distribution sites, especially the militarized ones. I will not survive.”
Restrictions on the entry of medicines and medical equipment have created acute shortages, particularly
of treatments needed for chronic health conditions such as diabetes, hypertension, cardiovascular
disease, and cancer. In May 2025, 64 percent of medical equipment and 43 percent of essential
medicines were completely depleted (“stock zero”) across Gaza, leaving many women without insulin,
blood pressure medication, or cancer therapies56 and with untreated pain, unmanaged chronic illness,
and no palliative care.57
The testimonies of women living with chronic illness illustrate these intersecting vulnerabilities. A
displaced mother with cancer shared: “I am a cancer patient, a grieving mother, and a woman who goes to
sleep hungry every night. We have lost everything, including our dignity. Many days I wish for death, because
living like this feels unbearable.” A frontline health worker confirmed that older women with chronic
illnesses are among those most at risk. One elderly woman with diabetes explained: “I cut my insulin in
half. I know it will kill me slowly, but there is no other choice.”
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