Early on the morning of 2 January, Noor was killed in Deir al-Balah, Gaza. She had been seeking shelter in her sister’s home. Noor, her mother, her sisters Safa’ and Hadeel, her sister’s children Hisham and Rafeeq, and her brothers Bilal and Baha’ all died. Since the outbreak of the war on 7 October, so many families have been destroyed, some wiped off the population registry completely.

For the last 100 days, Ahlam has helped organize humanitarian aid deliveries to internally displaced persons (IDPs) across the Gaza Strip.   She works long hours, managing the UNRWA Marib warehouse in Khan Younis in southern Gaza, supervising inventory and planning the distribution of aid.  The warehouse now operates at three times its previous capacity. She handles the receipt and delivery of food and other supplies and works tirelessly from 7:00 a.m. to 11:00 p.m.

Women and girls are among the most vulnerable groups in any society. Their vulnerability is typically amplified in times of crisis, such as the displacement of Gaza’s population because of the war.

Dr. Sulafa is the Pharmacy Manager and Drugstore Supervisor at the UNRWA Tel al-Sultan Health Centre in Rafah in the southern Gaza Strip. For 18 years, through multiple rounds of violence and the tight blockade of Gaza, she has continued to serve the local Palestine Refugee community. “I would work alone in the pharmacy for the first three days of every war,” she said, “then a colleague would join me to provide support.”  

Since the start of the war in Gaza, more than 31,000 Palestinians have been killed. Now, more are dying from the consequences of the imposed siege, including at least 23 children who have died of starvation and dehydration. The UN last month warned that a quarter of the population is on the brink of famine.