Gaza War Creates More Than 28,000 New Widows Facing Displacement Alone

The ongoing Gaza war has created more than 28,000 new widows who now head households in displacement tents, while nearly 9,500 Palestinians remain missing and Israeli officials continue to advocate leaving the territory in ruins.

Rising Number of Widows and New Responsibilities

The Gaza Ministry of Social Development reports more than 50,000 widows in total, including 28,224 who lost husbands in the war that began in 2023, with numbers expected to rise as not all have been registered. [1] Mona al-Masri is one of these women. Her husband Mohammed was killed in an Israeli strike in September 2024, leaving her to care for four children aged nine to two inside a displacement tent in northern Gaza. [1] She begins each morning searching for water, arranging food and attempting to protect her children from a reality that no longer resembles life before the war began in 2023. [1] Between fabric walls that provide little protection, Mona carries the responsibilities of a family burdened by displacement. [1] She says there is no normal life inside the tent and that every day begins with the same questions about securing needs and getting through another day surrounded by exhaustion. [1] Aziza al-Kahlout, spokesperson for the Ministry of Social Development in Gaza, states that the war has left these women facing the responsibility of supporting their families without a provider amid widespread destruction and the collapse of basic conditions for a decent life. [1]

Psychological and Social Support Needs

Aseel Abu Shaweesh, a psychologist, explains that losing a husband during the Gaza war represents a traumatic experience with profound psychological and social impacts on widows and their children. [1] Many women face new and increasing responsibilities while dealing with displacement, the destruction of homes and the loss of stability. [1] A widow in Gaza faces the pain of losing her husband, the responsibility of supporting her family and caring for her children in an environment filled with fear and instability. [1] Many women are forced to hide their grief and emotional collapse so they can carry on in front of their children, while the accumulation of daily pressures increases levels of anxiety and psychological exhaustion. [1] Children in families who have lost one parent are also deeply affected, showing signs of constant fear, sleep disturbances and behavioural changes. [1] Al-Kahlout stresses that widows need regular financial assistance, emergency relief, psychosocial and healthcare services, legal support related to guardianship, custody, financial rights and inheritance, educational opportunities, vocational training and support for small and family businesses. [1] Protecting and empowering widows has become a shared national and humanitarian responsibility that requires an urgent and sustainable response. [1]

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Families Searching for the Missing

Gaza-based human rights groups estimate around 9,500 Palestinians are missing, with families searching hospitals, the ICRC and social media. [3] The family of Palestinian journalist Ehab Diab learned in 2026 that he had died in Israeli prison on 18 September 2024 after being arrested on 12 December 2023. [3] His brother Mohammed Diab said the family spent nearly two years contacting organisations and the ICRC without receiving information about his fate. [3] The Commission of Detainees and Ex-Detainees Affairs said Ehab’s death brought to 328 the number of Palestinians who have died in Israeli prisons since 1967, including 91 since 7 October 2023. [3] For the family of Mahmoud Drimli, a photograph released by an Israeli female soldier showed the 24-year-old handcuffed and blindfolded, providing the first indication he might still be alive after disappearing on 2 November 2024. [3] His mother Aida Drimli said the image brought relief that her son was alive but also broke her heart. [3] Um Mohammed al-Harazeen lost contact with her husband and 17-year-old son Ahmed after Israeli forces separated men from women during displacement on 23 January 2024. [3] She later lost three other sons in an Israeli attack after they returned to Gaza following the ceasefire. [3] Israeli security officials were holding approximately 1,700 Palestinian bodies, according to Haaretz. [3]

Calls to Keep Gaza in Ruins

Retired Israeli Maj-Gen Giora Eiland stated Israel has no interest in Gaza being rebuilt and that it is better if the territory remains destroyed for generations to create despair and serve as a monument to 7 October. [2] Eiland condemned a Trump-backed proposal to end the war as very pro-Hamas and urged the Israeli government to refuse to withdraw its forces from Gaza. [2] His comments come as Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu rejects the Board of Peace’s 15-point plan and refuses to end attacks on Gaza or withdraw Israeli troops, which now occupy around 70 percent of the enclave. [2] Eiland previously argued that making life impossible for Gaza’s civilian population should form part of Israel’s military strategy, stating in October 2023 that Gaza will become an area where people cannot live. [2] He later wrote that Israel has no choice but to make Gaza a place that is temporarily or permanently impossible to live in. [2] Eiland was the lead author of the General’s Plan in 2024, which proposed ordering civilians out of northern Gaza and treating those who remained as combatants. [2]

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Education Evacuations Delayed for Students

More than 200 Gazan students have been evacuated to Italy for university scholarships since 2025 but about 50 remain stuck due to bureaucratic delays despite meeting requirements, as most higher education institutions in Gaza have been destroyed. [4] Between September 2025 and June, 246 scholarship recipients from Gaza were flown to Italy and San Marino through Italy’s IUPALS program. [4] There have been no evacuations since June 1, according to Anna Giada Altomare, founder of the Fiori dai Cannoni charity. [4] One male student still waiting described a long waiting period, uncertainty about the travel date and fear of losing an educational opportunity obtained after great effort. [4] Nada Abunada and Mohamed Arafat began studies in economics at Rome’s Sapienza University in November 2025 after graduating high school in Gaza with scores above 99 percent. [4] They were alerted to their evacuation just the day before by Italy’s consulate in Jerusalem. [4] Other Palestinian students hoping to study in Turkey, the Netherlands, Germany and Belgium face similar unexplained delays. [4]

Humanitarian Infrastructure Response

A new Palestinian Red Crescent field hospital has opened in Gaza to serve nearly 500,000 people given the destruction of 90 percent of Gaza’s health facilities. [5] Its opening comes amid consequences of the Israeli war, which has destroyed 90 percent of Gaza’s infrastructure, including hospitals and health facilities. [5]

What to watch next: Families of the missing continue to search hospitals, the ICRC and social media for answers while additional widows are expected to be registered by the Ministry of Social Development and further delays affect scholarship students awaiting evacuation.