Palestinian widows are surviving against terrible odds: their homes and towns are the battlegrounds of war, while they lose family members, neighbors, and friends to Israeli bombings. Many Palestinian women are enduring the additional burden of losing their husbands, making them widows – often with young children – during wartimes.
According to a United Nations Women report, “some 3,000 Palestinian women have been widowed, becoming heads of household overnight,” since October 2023. With the Israel-Hamas war continuing to escalate, how are Palestinian women surviving the consequences?
Palestinian Women Speak: Highlighting Their Voices
There have been several attacks on the Gaza strip over the last few decades. In each conflict, Palestinian civilians are causalities of air strikes and ground assaults. Countless women have lost their husbands, brothers, and sons in these wars.
The wives, sisters, and mothers of these men and boys are left with heavy burdens to carry. Their stories show courage and resilience when faced with unfathomable realities.
After Half a Decade, New Life Begins
During Operation Protective Edge in 2014, Islam Awwad, a young mother at the time, lost seven members of her family during an attack on her home, including both her husband and son. She was just 24 years old at the time.
In 2019, on the fifth anniversary of the end of Operation Protective Edge, Olfat al-Kurd, field researcher with B’Tselem, visited Gaza. During his trip, he interviewed five women who lost their husbands and other relatives in Israeli bombings.
In his conversation with Islam, she described her relocation to the town of Jabalya after losing her husband and son. Despite the difficulties of her loss, Islam rebuilt her life in a new place. She eventually remarried and had a daughter with her new husband. She is now comfortable again in her role as a mother, caregiver, and homemaker.
Voices from the Current Israel-Hamas War
The Palestine Chronicle spoke with several women whose husbands were killed in Israeli bombings. These Palestinian women lost their husbands since the beginning of the Israel-Hamas war in October 2023. Their stories echo the raw feelings of devasting loss that is still fresh, yet threads of resilience shine through.
In this article, the women share “their daily challenges, their fears, and [their] great and growing responsibilities” with journalist Abdallah Aljamal.
A Wound of the Heart
One Palestinian widow, Umm Kamal Subh, lost husband, son, and daughter when they “were killed by an Israeli bombing in Deir Al-Balah, in central Gaza,” on October 9, 2023. She described how her and her remaining family members’ “physical wounds are starting to heal,” but worried about “the wounds in our hearts.”
She shared that her living children are “still receiving treatment” but need more time to recover. Subh was only 34 years old when her husband died.
The Promise of a Happy Life
Aljamal also interviewed a Palestinian woman who’s 38-year-old husband, Bassem Qutaif, was killed in his family home in Nuseirat by an Israeli bombing. His wife was left with the responsibility to “provide a safe life” for her children.” She told The Palestine Chronicle, “I hope the war stops immediately, and I can keep my promise to my husband: raise my children as he would have liked to see them, always happy and full of life.”
Despite the harsh reality of being recent widows, Subh and Qutaif are making the best of their situations. While Subh’s family was healing physically at the time of her interview, she expressed a hope that psychological treatment would help them fully recover. Similarly, Qutaif expressed her desire to fulfill her promise to her husband and give her children a happy life.
Resilience in the Face of Devastation
The Palestinian women stories shared in this essay are just a few of the thousands of stories from wives made widows in the 12 months. Women’s suffering in Gaza also extends beyond the killings and deaths. The Christian Science Monitor reports “as many as a million women and girls are estimated to have been displaced” in the war on Gaza.
In addition to “single parenthood,” the women are dealing with sanitation issues, hunger, and disease. Previously joyous events like pregnancy have become potentially life-threatening struggles. As one widow notes, “the burden of this war has fallen heavily on the women in Gaza.”
Studies show women who lost their husbands suffer from physical ailments due to their grief as well as heightened levels of anxiety and fear. However, Abdulfattah’s contribution to the Christian Science Monitor highlights how Palestinian women carry a “will to survive.” This effort also translates to keeping their families alive, despite dire conditions in the country.
Supporting Palestinian Widows
Palestinian women have suffered greatly amid the ongoing war in Gaza. Thousands have become widows during a humanitarian crisis, supporting their families with new responsibilities while grieving loss.
Organizations like The Union of Palestinian Women Committees Society, work to empower women who are attempting to rebuild their lives. In the face of insurmountable lost, Palestinian women reveal a sense of selfless determination: to survive, to give their children good lives, and to find peace. With more advocacy and support, we can advance this peace.
To learn more about building peace in Israel and Palestine and how you can get involved,
visit The Promised Land Museum and consider hosting an exhibit.
