In the second year of Israel’s devastating offensive on Gaza, women across the enclave are facing unimaginable hardship.
With homes destroyed, families shattered and daily life reduced to survival, mothers have become the last line of defence for their children — and for hope itself.
Since Israel launched its war on Gaza on October 7, 2023, women have endured forced displacement, hunger, thirst and life in makeshift shelters. But for many, the greatest loss has been that of their husbands and relatives — leaving them to raise children alone under bombardment.
Journalist Ula Husso told Anadolu she and her family have been uprooted several times since the war began. She lost both her brother and elder brother in Israeli attacks. Because of forced displacement, she was unable to see her elder brother’s body.
Months later, after Israeli forces withdrew from Gaza City’s al-Shifa Hospital, she returned in hopes of finding him.
“Thank God, I found his body intact. Among the bodies, I recognised him. Those were very difficult moments for me. I took him out of there and transferred him to another place,” she said.
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‘Gaza's mothers are worth 100 men’
The loss of her brothers pushed Husso into a deep depression and forced her to put her career on hold.
“During that time, my husband supported me incredibly. Thanks to him, I picked up my camera and started capturing scenes of crime and activities organised for children. Slowly, I regained my confidence and became a journalist,” she said.
That recovery ended when her husband was also killed in an Israeli strike.
“That was the moment I realised I had to be strong because I no longer had anyone to lean on. After my husband and brothers passed away, I realised I only had myself for support.”
“Gaza’s women have to be strong for their children. I have a son; I can't leave him to someone else. Thank God I overcame all the challenges and continued with my work. While I am at work, I worry about him. I always wonder if something happened,” she said.
Husso described Palestinian mothers in Gaza as “the strongest in the world,” enduring conditions that few others could survive.
“We became both mothers and fathers. Many women were left widowed, but because they had children and responsibilities, they had to stand up. They had to be strong for themselves and their children. They had to be their own support. Gaza's mothers are worth 100 men,” she said.
‘It’s very difficult for mothers’
Wafa Abu Aita, also widowed early in the war, now raises five children alone. Constant displacement and hunger have taken a toll, with food scarce and prices soaring.
“It’s very difficult for mothers who lost their husbands. The hardest thing for me during the war was losing my husband. Taking on so many responsibilities without an income is very challenging,” she said.
Abu Aita said she relies on her faith and her role as a mother to carry on.
“Children are entrusted to their parents by God,” she said, adding that raising them well is a duty she is determined to fulfil, despite the devastation.
More than 52,800 Palestinians, most of them women and children, have been killed in Gaza since Israel launched its war, according to Gaza’s Health Ministry.
The International Criminal Court issued arrest warrants last November for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his former Defence Minister Yoav Gallant for war crimes and crimes against humanity.
Israel is also facing a genocide case at the International Court of Justice.
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Source: TRT