While global attention is focused on the campaign against Iran and its regional implications, troubling accounts are emerging from the Gaza Strip that depict a different reality unfolding far from the front lines. Residents are beginning to break their silence, describing a recurring pattern of extortion and sexual exploitation by Hamas, which has continued to rule the enclave with an iron grip since the ceasefire with Israel, targeting vulnerable women — mainly widows and divorcees struggling to secure food and basic aid.
Some of the testimonies, obtained by the British Daily Mail from the Arabic media platform Jusoor News, point to the involvement of individuals linked to Hamas and in some cases, efforts to suppress the incidents. The backdrop includes the collapse of civilian systems, a worsening humanitarian crisis, and a troubling rise in phenomena such as child marriage and teenage pregnancies. In this environment, fear and dependency leave many victims without a voice. Human rights groups in Gaza say up to 60,000 women are at risk.
In one testimony, a Gaza resident speaking anonymously described finding a displaced widow being sexually assaulted inside a tent by a group of Hamas operatives and being warned not to speak out. “We were contacted by the wife of a friend. She had asked a Qassam Brigades commander to help her, but he took advantage of her,” he said. “His behaviour is disgraceful. We investigated the matter and found her in a tent in the Gharabli area where a bunch of Qassam members were taking advantage of her. We informed the leadership but we were told we had to keep silent about it.”
Another resident said a similar incident happened to his neighbor, who was allegedly blackmailed by members of a Hamas-affiliated charity. According to him, “they wanted her to whore herself in exchange for a food parcel, or an aid voucher, or 100 shekels."
A man identifying himself as a member of Hamas’ military wing confirmed that such exploitation also targets widows. He said he reported that operatives were abusing “wives of martyrs” in a tent in the Qarabli area, but was instructed to remain silent. “We told them it was an insult to our honor and dignity,” he said, adding that he tore down the tent in anger.
Abdullah (a pseudonym), a journalist with Jusoor News who documented the testimonies, spoke to the Daily Mail from a hiding place for fear of being located by Hamas. "Unfortunately, there are many cases — very widespread," he said. "In every area, many women are exploited, especially widows and divorced women, because they have no support and no income. Their vulnerability is taken advantage of, and the situation is getting worse day by day."
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Noor, a mother of 4, described sexual coercion in exchange for aid after a religious figure began harassing her
(Photo: From the Daily Mail)
Noor (a pseudonym), a divorced mother of four who was displaced from her home, spoke in a whisper by phone to the Daily Mail out of fear of being discovered. She described sexual coercion in exchange for aid after a religious figure began harassing her when she was already at her lowest point.
"I am a mother of four children. I am displaced because of the war and I do not belong to a recognized displacement camp, so I did not receive any aid. I went to an Islamic charity that distributes aid to displaced and needy people in Gaza," she described. "'I was welcomed by a man who looked religious, like a sheikh. He said he would stand by me and help me. I told him I was separated from my husband. He said: "Oh, separated? A woman as beautiful as you?"'
He took her phone number, and she believed help would follow. Instead, he asked her to join a video call at night. “From the beginning, the way he spoke to me felt like harassment. I am much younger than him. I trusted him because he was an older man; I saw him like a father. He is the age of my father, but he harassed me directly. I was afraid, of course. He was pursuing me,” she said. “'I asked him how he could talk to me like that. And he should be ashamed. I told him I would expose him. He said: 'You cannot expose me, I am the government here.'"
Noor said this reflects a broader pattern in which vulnerable women are targeted because they lack a provider and depend on aid. “They exploit women’s need for help. But the women are too scared to speak up,” she said.
'They deceive women desperate for a bit of sugar or a grain of rice'
A report by the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) found a sharp rise in child marriages and teenage pregnancies in Gaza. Data from before the war showed the rate of child marriage had dropped to 11% in 2022 from 26% in 2009, underscoring a reversal of progress. According to the report, at least 400 girls aged 14 to 16 were registered as married within just four months in 2025, though UN officials warn this likely represents only a fraction of the phenomenon due to underreporting and the collapse of official registration systems.
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An older woman from Gaza tells Jusoor News 'There are charitable organizations exploiting women'
(Photo: From the Daily Mail)
'We are witnessing the dismantling of a generation’s future,' said Nestor Owomuhangi, UNFPA Country Representative in the Palestinian territories, noting that the trend is driven by the war and worsening humanitarian conditions.
An older woman from Gaza, speaking anonymously to Jusoor News, said: “Honestly, they are deceiving women. There are charitable organizations exploiting women. They deceive women who are desperate. They are desperate for a bit of sugar or a grain of rice.”
Another woman said: “A guy will say: "Come, we have a relief package for you". He represents an Islamic organization — a movement whose name I won’t mention, but it is a political organization. "If you come with me and do so and so, I’ll give you so and so" — and the women, who have no life experience, end up getting exploited."
She added: “This shouldn’t be happening at all, it just shouldn’t. One charity in Gaza is unfortunately the biggest perpetrator. From its chairman all the way down to its doorman, it’s being done by all their employees and members, as though it’s an organization set up for sexual harassment, psychological abuse, and harassing young women.”
During the war between Israel and Hamas, the Associated Press documented several cases in 2025, including that of a 38-year-old woman who believed she had found a way out when she sought aid for her six children. After weeks of hardship, she was told a man could help her with food, assistance and even a job. She approached him after separating from her husband and closing her business, but he took her to an empty apartment, complimented her and asked her to remove her head covering.
According to her account, he said he loved her and would not force her — but also would not let her leave. Ultimately, she said, sexual contact occurred. She declined to provide details, citing fear and shame. “'I had to play along because I was scared, I wanted out of this place,” she told AP. Before leaving she received 100 shekels, and two weeks later was given a box of medicine and a food package. The job that was promised never materialized, according to the report.
'Most women will never speak about it publicly'
"Women are being sexually abused now, worse than during the war," said Gazan writer and author of 'Seashells on the beach of Gaza', Hamza Howidy.
He warned that many victims remain silent due to stigma and fear of social consequences. "The problem is that most women will never speak about it publicly because society considers it shameful… . It’s not only widows who are being affected, but also unmarried women. Many women are now forced to seek assistance simply to feed their children.” He added that the cycle will continue as long as women lack economic independence.
Abdullah, the Jusoor News journalist who documented the testimonies, told the Daily Mail that “Hamas has exploited media channels, spreading exaggerated or false numbers. Hamas have lied about everything, they stole the aid, created the famine narrative and the gullible West believes it. They have no respect for anyone.”
He said small platforms like Jusoor News are among the few managing to bring such testimonies to light. “We have a duty to amplify these voices,” he said.
He described threats to his life, saying armed men had even reached the location where he was staying. 'If I had been there, they would have shot me.' He said he remains in hiding and continues reporting despite risks.
Ahmed Fouad Alkhatib, director of the organization Realign for Palestine, said many do not speak out because of fear of Hamas. 'I have seen videos showing women being covered up and sold under the guise of helping them find a husband," he said. "Many women in Gaza have been subjected to exploitation — but there is no central body documenting these cases."
"Many NGOs and organizations that are supposedly concerned with women's issues are unable to be of help, either for fear of Hamas or its enforced notion that Gazan women are perfectly fine under its control or authority," he added.
The Daily Mail noted that it contacted UN Women, which did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Two additional human rights organizations in Gaza also were approached, and one said it was not aware of exploitation of women.