Gaza's Widows: The Burden of War on Women Left Alone

Gaza Strip – In a makeshift tent under the scorching heat of northern Gaza, Mona al-Masri tries to piece together another day. She is a widow and mother of four children, the oldest nine and the youngest just two. Her husband, Mohammed, was killed in an Israeli airstrike in September 2024.

Behind the flimsy fabric walls, Mona carries the weight of a family shattered by war—stripped of its breadwinner and the security they once knew. Every morning, she wakes up to search for water, find food, and shield her children from a reality that bears no resemblance to life before 2023. What hurts Mona most is not only the lack of basic necessities but also the overwhelming sense of facing everything alone with no one to lean on.

“There is no normal life in this tent. Every day begins with the same questions: how to secure enough essentials, how to survive another day amid this exhaustion,” Mona says. “War doesn't just take your home; it steals your sense of safety and stability, turning even the simplest things into a huge burden.”

Rising Numbers

Mona is just one of thousands of women in Gaza now forced into new roles imposed by the war, caring for their families on their own. Data from Gaza's Ministry of Social Development shows the total number of widows in the strip has surpassed 50,000. This includes 28,224 women widowed by the war, in addition to more than 22,500 widows previously registered.

Aziza al-Kahlout, a ministry spokesperson, said the figure is likely to rise as not all war widows have been registered yet. She noted that the war has forced these women to confront the grim reality of supporting their families single-handedly amid widespread destruction and the collapse of basic living conditions. They require economic empowerment programs, job creation, and enhanced self-reliance to escape poverty. Beyond financial support, they also need psychological, social, medical, and legal assistance related to guardianship, child custody, and inheritance rights.

Psychological Support

Losing a husband in war has not only robbed thousands of women of their life partners but has also come hand-in-hand with displacement, destroyed homes, and the loss of stability. Aseel Abu Shaweesh, a psychologist, explains that losing a husband in war is a deeply traumatic psychological and social experience for widows and their children. Many women face the pain of loss while shouldering family responsibilities in an environment filled with fear and insecurity.

“A widow in Gaza suffers the pain of losing her husband, carries the family, and cares for her children in a context full of fear,” Abu Shaweesh says. Many women are forced to hide their grief and breakdowns to stay strong in front of their children. The accumulation of daily pressures and the lack of space to vent have left them increasingly anxious and exhausted. Children in families that lost a father are also severely affected, showing signs of fear, sleep disorders, and behavioral changes. Therefore, these widows need continuous financial and psychosocial support to adapt to the new roles that war has imposed on them.