'Severe escalation' of forced child marriage and sexual violence in Gaza is revealed in UN report as father 'sells daughter, 14, for two bags of flour'

A series of UN reports have revealed a 'severe escalation' in gender based violence in Gaza, as women are abused by male relatives and forced to marry their rapists.Recent reports from the UN Population Fund (UNFPA) found that gender based violence (GBV) in Gaza had increased 27 per cent from April of this year to June.Women and girls are facing sexual violence, the denial of resources and domestic abuse amid a humanitarian crisis in the region.One report stated that incidents of sexual violence, including rape and sexual assault, 'have become critical in Gaza'. They accounted for 2.7 per cent of total reported incidents of GBV from April to June 2026 - up from 2.1 per cent in the quarter before, representing a 61 per cent increase in absolute case numbers.UNFPA gathered testimony from 230 women living in displacement camps in Gaza City and Khan Younis, describing the violence they and their female neighbours have experienced.Several women recounted incidents of rape and forced marriage throughout the camps.'[During the famine], a man married off his 14-year-old daughter in exchange for two bags of flour so he and his [other] children could eat,' one woman in Khan Younis said.The report found that rape incidents were often covered up and survivors pressured into marrying their perpetrators.Displaced Palestinians move with their belongings to an other area following an airstrike'When rape cases are discovered in schools, you find weddings and celebrations at the school the next day,' one woman said.The report also stated that sexual violence against disabled women was prevalent, with several women recounting harrowing experiences. One account described a disabled girl who was raped and later became pregnant.Sexual exploitation in exchange for essential services is also reportedly on the rise.One woman said she knew of another who was forced to 'come to [a doctor's] room at night' and comply with his demands in order for her son to receive surgery.Another woman in Gaza City recalled how a widow seeking a tent was allegedly told by a camp representative: 'I'll give you a tent, we'll put you in our camp, and you can come stay with me tonight.'One woman said: 'It has reached the point where aid is only received after [a woman] has been fully exploited.'Meanwhile, fathers, brothers, and in-laws in particular were among the most frequently discussed perpetrators of denial of access to humanitarian aid.One particularly disturbing account read: 'There is a woman in the camp who… returned to the north alone [without her husband]. She was securing the needs of her children [and would] beg the camp representative for bread. 'Her father-in-law stabbed her and humiliated her in front of everyone because she goes out to look for food. Her husband’s brother came and assaulted her in front of the whole camp and insulted her.'The report also found that some women said their husbands had forced them to exchange sexual favours with people in their camps in return for money. Several women recounted incidents of rape and forced marriage throughout the camps 'I heard more than one story about women whose husbands forced them to work in sex services. In one camp, maybe 14 people were caught doing services, promoting drugs, and providing sex services,' one woman recounted. Domestic violence in Gaza was already a significant problem, but displacement has forced women to live in close quarters with their abusers, and cases have skyrocketed. 'All women are subject to violence from family members, especially physical abuse, due to the increased number of family members [living together]. No one is immune, especially during wartime. The problem has worsened considerably,' one woman recounted.In one particularly horrible testimony, another woman said her neighbour was sexually, physically and emotionally abused by her husband. He reportedly prevented her from contacting her friends and family.'She would secretly call from her neighbour's phone. When [her husband] found out that she contacted her family, he took her to his friend's place and tortured her – tying her up and dragging her by her hair. 'She returned covered in bruises and unable to move her hand. When I asked why she came back, she said, "Where can I go? And also, I cannot be away from my children",' the woman said.Older women are also the victims of violence, with the report finding that displacement has eroded many of the protective elements elderly matriarchs used to have. One woman said of her neighbours: 'I know people who were in the tent next to me. The man used to beat his elderly mother when she soiled herself, because diapers were too expensive and he wasn't working.' The rise is being linked to the humanitarian crisis, but also to efforts to raise awareness and provide better ways to make confidential reports.Data gathered indicated that the majority of survivors were women aged 18-59, followed by adolescent girls at 8 per cent and adult men at 5 per cent.The full reports can be found here and here.