ESCWA: Social and economic situation of Palestinian women and girls: July 2022 – June 2024

01 September 2025

The United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Western Asia (ESCWA) issues biennial reports on the situation of women and girls in the Occupied Palestinian Territory. These reports are in accordance with Economic and Social Council Resolutions 2003/42 and 2021/5 on the situation of and assistance to Palestinian women, and ESCWA Resolution 330 (XXX), which requests the Secretariat to monitor, analyse, and document the economic and social repercussions of the Israeli occupation and Israeli violations of the rights of Palestinian people and of international law. The biennial reports feed into the global report prepared by ESCWA on the status of women.

The present report reviews the situation of Palestinian women and girls in the Occupied Palestinian Territory from 1 July 2022 to 30 June 2024, focusing on their political, social, economic and human rights. The report opens with an assessment of the security and political context, which deteriorated at an alarming rate during the reporting period, with devastating consequences for women’s rights to life, security and protection. It describes the unprecedented Israeli war on Gaza since 7 October 2023, which has resulted in an escalation of humanitarian and protection crises, with further ramifications for the West Bank, including far-reaching impacts on women and girls. The analysis also focuses on life under occupation in the West Bank, emphasizing the severe consequences for women and girls of movement restrictions, increased arrests and raids.

The report also highlights positive achievements in the advancement of Palestinian women’s rights during the reporting period, assessing their status in line with the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women, the Beijing Declaration, the Women, Peace and Security agenda, and the Sustainable Development Goals. The report highlights the resilience of women and girls amidst the ongoing crisis, noting the key role played by women’s rights organizations and women-led organizations. Lastly, the report proposes recommendations for decision makers, encompassing a broad range of gender-sensitive legal and institutional reforms along with economic and social policy reforms targeting Palestinian women and girls. The report calls for urgent action towards a permanent ceasefire and an end to the occupation in line with international law. The international community is urged to provide critical support and investment to rebuild Gaza and to ensure the protection of civilians. The report also outlines gender-sensitive legal
reforms and socioeconomic measures that the State of Palestine should expedite to reduce gender inequity and advance women’s rights.

Conclusions and recommendations:

The vulnerabilities and threats faced by women and girls in the Occupied Palestinian Territory cannot be separated from the overall deprivation and violation of rights and protracted humanitarian crises that affect all Palestinians. As long as the Israeli occupation, policies and practices, including violence against Palestinians, continue, the enjoyment of rights by Palestinian women will remain unattainable. First and foremost, there must be an immediate end to the war on Gaza, alongside a significant scale-up in humanitarian assistance and reconstruction that is holistic, intersectional and gender-sensitive and includes the active participation of women and girls.

The following recommendations address two aspects of the situation of women and girls in the Occupied Palestinian Territory. The first set of recommendations focuses on the situation in Gaza and the steps necessary to ensure an end to dependency and the full engagement of Palestinian people, including women and girls, in their recovery from occupation and conflict. The second set of recommendations focuses on steps to be taken by the Government of Palestine and other Palestinian stakeholders to advance the rights and socioeconomic and political participation of Palestinian women and girls.

The first set of recommendations stem from ESCWA tenets and essential elements for sustainable recovery in Gaza. They should not be viewed as an alternative to the removal of the single most obstructive factor facing the advancement of the rights and socioeconomic conditions of Palestinian women and girls: the Israeli occupation and the policies and practices employed by Israel in the Occupied Palestinian Territory. Israel, as the occupying power, must be held accountable for its violations of international human rights law and international humanitarian law and for failing to uphold its obligations, including those towards all Palestinian women and girls.

As a first step, an immediate permanent ceasefire needs to be implemented, coupled with humanitarian aid entering Gaza without restriction. Aid must also account for the necessary health and nutrition needs of the people of Gaza. Concerning the tenets, an intervention must:

• Consolidate and support Palestinian ownership of all stages of recovery and development in the Occupied Palestinian Territory.
• Contextualize recovery and development to address the conditions resulting from the Israeli occupation, policies and practices.
• Employ an international law-based approach to recovery and development. Rethink Palestinian economic links internally and with the Arab region.

These tenets must be employed utilizing an intersectional lens that ensures full engagement with and consideration of the needs of Palestinian women and girls, including those with disabilities, widows, women-headed households and older women. Women and girls must be at the forefront of reconstruction efforts, their voices heard and their needs met. Only then can the devastating impacts of occupation and successive conflicts be mitigated for Gaza, the State of Palestine and its people.

The second set of recommendations are aimed at the Government of Palestine and other Palestinian stakeholders to ensure the rights and empowerment of all women and girls. With the full participation of women’s rights organizations and other civil society organizations, the Government must expedite legislative reforms that guarantee justice and gender equality for women. In addition, with the support of the international community and local civil society, the Government of Palestine must invest in the effective implementation of policies to tackle gender disparity, particularly in economic and political participation, and to improve women and girls’ security and well-being. Such interventions should:

Enact legislative amendments and alignment with international commitments such as CEDAW and the Optional Protocol-CEDAW (including publication in the Official Gazette to ensure binding legal status), the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action, the WPS agenda and the Sustainable Development Goals.

Ensure endorsement and ratification of a unified Palestinian penal code, personal status law, and family protection law and/or law to end violence against women.

Incorporate a definition of discrimination against women into national legislation and elaborate on clear and direct provisions prohibiting gender-based discrimination in the Palestinian Basic Law and all adopted Palestinian laws.

Implement and enforce a minimum quota of 30 per cent for women’s representation at decision-making levels, around the negotiation table and throughout the peace-building continuum.

Invest in the implementation of interventions across the four pillars outlined in the National Action Plan on Women, Peace and Security in order to advance the WPS agenda.

Implement capacity-building initiatives with women’s rights organizations to enhance leadership skills and equip women, especially young women and those from marginalized communities, with the necessary tools to effectively participate in political processes and hold leadership positions.

Implement public awareness campaigns that challenge gender stereotypes, shift social attitudes toward women in leadership roles and foster broader acceptance of gender equality.

Change negative attitudes and practices to achieve gender parity and promote the empowerment of women and girls, including their economic participation, throughout the State of Palestine.