Who are the women and girls behind Gaza war’s horrific casualty toll?

Thirteen-year-old Mona describes how she survived a double airstrike that killed her mother, sister and brother, destroyed her family home, and left her with life-changing injuries. “We were sitting on the sixth floor when they struck the seventh – my uncle’s apartment. My uncle’s wife was screaming, “My children! My children are gone!” As I rushed to help her, they fired the second shell. That’s when my mother and my siblings were killed and my leg was amputated”, says Mona.

“The shell hit them directly. Their bodies weren’t whole – they were in pieces”, says Mona. Mona’s mother and sister are among more than 38,000 women and girls killed in Gaza between October 2023 and December 2025, representing on average at least 47 women and girls killed every day.

In the immediate aftermath, Mona’s father was forced to tell her what had happened to the rest of her family. “At that moment, I felt nothing – I went completely numb”, says Mona.

Nearly 11,000 women and girls in Gaza have sustained injuries so severe they now face lifelong disabilities. At the same time, health infrastructure has been heavily damaged, making access to basic medical care extremely difficult, particularly for those requiring long-term rehabilitation or pain management. The situation is now worsening due to the recent military escalation in the Middle East, as border crossing closures and humanitarian access constraints further reduce access to life-saving support.

After Mona was discharged from hospital, she found out they were being evacuated. “We got on a bus to Hamad City”, says Mona. “The whole way, I sat in pain – the stitches in my stomach were pulling, I couldn’t lean back because of the wounds on my back. I sat bent over the entire time, barely able to breathe”. With no painkillers, Mona spent the five-hour journey in agony. When she arrived in Hamad City, she couldn’t even lay down. “I wanted to lie down on the mattress, but I couldn’t – the pain was unbearable”. Finally, she fell asleep from sheer exhaustion.

Nearly one million women and girls have been displaced in Gaza, with many being forced into displacement an average of four times[1]. Access to water and food has been severely limited, with nearly 790,000 women and girls experiencing crisis-level or catastrophic levels of food insecurity.

The war has reshaped families and left many households headed by women after the loss of husbands and relatives. These women now carry the full weight of caregiving, income and survival, often without support.

Thirteen-year-old Mona, the sole child survivor from her family, describes how she survived a double airstrike. Screengrab from video: UN Women

Despite the ceasefire announced in October 2025, more than 730 people have been reportedly killed, and more than 2,000 people have been injured over the past six months. Women and girls are reportedly among those killed, but there is a huge lack of sex- and age- disaggregated data.

UN Women calls for the Gaza ceasefire to be fully implemented. Respect for international law must be upheld. There must be accountability for violations, and ensure the protection of women and girls.

Humanitarian assistance must reach those in need – at scale and without obstruction. And Palestinian women and girls must be at the centre of response and recovery efforts.

UN Women remains on the ground in Gaza partnering with women-led and women’s rights organizations, providing funding, coordination, and technical support. Together with the UN system, humanitarian partners, and women’s organizations, UN Women works to reach all women and girls with lifesaving assistance; and ensure that women’s organizations are funded and represented in decision-making and reconstruction efforts.