\u201cThe lack of medicine, poor food, contaminated water \u2013 and we were displaced from one place to another, living in tents,\u201d she told UNFPA, the United Nations sexual and reproductive health agency.<\/p>\n
Mariam is currently living in Gaza city, but her story is one among countless others of young girls displaced across Gaza. The war has devastated communities, forced families from their homes multiple times, and worn down the mental health and well-being of nearly everyone \u2013 especially young people like Mariam.<\/p>\n
A recent\u00a0report<\/a><\/em>\u00a0revealed that since the start of the war more than half of Gaza\u2019s young people feel unsafe, and 91 per cent reported worsening health conditions. Also in Gaza city, 14-year old Fatima* told UNFPA, \u201cWe are forced to live in overcrowded tents, with no privacy. The heat is unbearable, and there\u2019s no clean water.\u201d<\/p>\n The near total lack of menstrual products, hygiene facilities and clean water have all\u00a0heightened the risk of infections<\/a><\/em>, with widespread malnutrition and inadequate access to healthcare exacerbating the impact and duration of sickness and disease.<\/p>\n Gender-based violence and exploitation are also reported to be rising steeply, especially among displaced women and girls in overcrowded shelters and at aid distribution points.<\/p>\n Adolescent girls and women in Gaza face immense challenges, with overcrowded living conditions, limited access to basic needs, and the constant burden of displacement and insecurity. Photo \u00a9 UNFPA\/Media Clinic.<\/p><\/div> The unseen burden<\/strong><\/p>\n More than 20 per cent of Gaza\u2019s population are\u00a0under age 29<\/a><\/em>, many of whom have lost families, friends, homes and their chance at education. \u201cI loved studying and going out, but when the war came my life changed,\u201d said Fatima. \u201cIn the tent, the whole day is spent working, cleaning, and preparing food. Everything is exhausting.\u201d<\/p>\n The psychological fallout of the war has led to soaring cases of severe anxiety, depression and post-traumatic stress disorder, the report shows. At just 19, Nour* has lost her entire family to the conflict. \u201cI\u2019m the only survivor,\u201d she told UNFPA. \u201cI went through very difficult and harsh days, with extreme circumstances. I was injured and not allowed to travel for treatment.\u201d<\/p>\n Rana*, 15, was also displaced in the central governorate and recalled the terrifying explosions she heard all around her. \u201cYou’re sitting there and suddenly there’s a bombing next to you, with the cries of children and body parts of people killed.\u201d<\/p>\n Many girls report that their terror is stopping them from sleeping, a situation they are accepting as their new normal. \u201cWe were displaced almost nine times and lost family members. There is no safety, and we live in constant fear of losing more,\u201d said 18-year-old Sara*.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s the psychological toll \u2013 the constant fear and hopelessness \u2013 that is the hardest to bear.\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Adolescent girls in Gaza are shouldering immense responsibilities, from cooking and cleaning in overcrowded tents to navigating the daily challenges of survival amid violence and displacement. Photo \u00a9 UNFPA Palestine\/Sharek Youth Forum<\/p><\/div><\/figure>\n The need for support<\/strong><\/p>\n The report also found that nearly three quarters of girls in Gaza cannot access menstrual hygiene products, and\u00a071 per cent report<\/a><\/em>\u00a0increased pressure to marry before they turn 18, as a means to help their family cope financially. Before the war, Gaza had\u00a0high literacy<\/a><\/em>\u00a0and\u00a0school attendance rates<\/a><\/em>, but with almost\u00a0all school buildings now demolished<\/a><\/em>\u00a0or damaged and hundreds of teachers killed, Gaza\u2019s young people face an even steeper uphill struggle to secure the futures they deserve. \u201cI used to dream of building a better future, but the war took away my ambitions,\u201d said 15-year-old Layla*.<\/p>\n Programmes led by UNFPA in partnership with local NGO Save Youth Future Society (SYFS) and the Sharek Youth Forum are vital in addressing these needs. Through psychosocial support and counselling, they offer girls a chance to process their trauma and begin healing. For Layla, they restored a sense of hope. \u201cThrough the educational initiatives, I could get back to school and become a peer support to my relatives and children in the displacement camp.\u201d<\/p>\n UNFPA also works with volunteers who have set up temporary educational and life skills learning spaces for young people, and delivers awareness campaigns, adolescent hygiene kits, recreational activities and sport programmes to help them regain a sense of normality. \u201cWe have to support each other,\u201d said Mariam.<\/p>\n A glimmer of hope<\/strong><\/p>\n The news of the\u00a0ceasefire<\/a><\/em>\u00a0has brought some welcome relief for the 1 million women and girls who have lived under bombardment for the last 470 days. Fewer than half of Gaza\u2019s 36 hospitals are still functioning, millions have lost homes and loved ones, and most lack the very basics to survive.<\/p>\n In 2025, UNFPA plans to set up multi-purpose youth centres and girls\u2019 tents throughout the Gaza Strip, offering integrated mental health interventions in youth programming, education, and essential resources like menstrual hygiene products, alongside protection against harmful practices, including early marriage.<\/p>\n Prioritizing the recovery, stability, and future well-being of young people in Gaza will be essential to ensure they can rebuild their lives. \u201cMy greatest ambition is to go back home and see my friends,\u201d said Layla. \u201cI have started to return to how I was before.\u201d<\/p>\n Names changed for privacy and protection*<\/em><\/p>\n 23 January 2025 GAZA STRIP, Occupied Palestinian Territory \u2013\u00a0\u201cOur whole life became a tragedy,\u201d said 15-year-old Mariam* after 15 months of war in Gaza. \u201cThe lack of medicine, poor food, contaminated water \u2013 and we were displaced from one place to another, living in tents,\u201d she told UNFPA, the United Nations sexual and reproductive […]<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":299,"featured_media":0,"parent":0,"template":"","meta":{"footnotes":""},"country":[],"document-category":[1329],"document-source":[2337],"committee-meeting":[],"document-subject":[2033,2005,2533,2349,1745,2729,6868,1841,6635],"entity":[1729],"document-language":[6542],"class_list":["post-305102","document","type-document","status-publish","hentry","document-category-press-release","document-source-united-nations-population-fund-unfpa","document-subject-children","document-subject-gaza-strip","document-subject-health","document-subject-living-conditions","document-subject-refugees-and-displaced-persons","document-subject-shelter","document-subject-wash","document-subject-women","document-subject-youth","entity-united-nations-system","document-language-english"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.un.org\/unispal\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/document\/305102","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.un.org\/unispal\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/document"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.un.org\/unispal\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/document"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.un.org\/unispal\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/299"}],"version-history":[{"count":6,"href":"https:\/\/www.un.org\/unispal\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/document\/305102\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":305110,"href":"https:\/\/www.un.org\/unispal\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/document\/305102\/revisions\/305110"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.un.org\/unispal\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=305102"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"country","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.un.org\/unispal\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/country?post=305102"},{"taxonomy":"document-category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.un.org\/unispal\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/document-category?post=305102"},{"taxonomy":"document-source","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.un.org\/unispal\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/document-source?post=305102"},{"taxonomy":"committee-meeting","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.un.org\/unispal\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/committee-meeting?post=305102"},{"taxonomy":"document-subject","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.un.org\/unispal\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/document-subject?post=305102"},{"taxonomy":"entity","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.un.org\/unispal\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/entity?post=305102"},{"taxonomy":"document-language","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.un.org\/unispal\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/document-language?post=305102"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
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