By Faye Price
It has been two years and five months since the latest Israel-Gaza conflict began with the devastating murder of 1,200 Israelis and the taking of 251 hostages by Hamas. Since then, Israel has swiftly levelled Gaza City in a relentless military campaign in which more than 72,200 people have been killed and thousands displaced. Of this number, a significant percentage is made up of women, children and the elderly.
During the war, women have borne a tsunami of suffering and loss and most of them have been displaced at least four times, with no secure home or guarantee of safety.
The life-saving humanitarian work that has been implemented in Gaza has provided some relief, despite Israel’s ongoing attempts to bar 37 aid groups under new registration rules. In particular, the UN has played a vital role in providing humanitarian aid and basic needs such as food and water via the operation of water wells and desalination systems. Aid workers both off and on the ground have been instrumental in making this happen.
Federica Vaghetti worked with the United Nations Department of Protections (UNDP) and the UN’s Programme of Assistance to the Palestinian People (PAPP) from 2019 as a UN volunteer until 2025. The result of a resolution from the UN, PAPP involves improving the socioeconomic conditions in Palestine including Gaza and the West Bank. During this time Frederica was based in Rallah in the West Bank, and would travel both to Jerusalem and to Gaza every three months to provide support with implemented programmes and projects.
Regarding her work, Federica highlighted the huge difference in her role from when she began at the UNDP as a volunteer in 2019 to 7th October 2023. After this date the UNDP shuttle that would take Frederica and her Palestinian colleagues could no longer operate as Israel had revoked Palestinian work permits.
“Before the genocide started I would go to the East Jerusalem office Monday to Friday unless we had workshops,” she said.
“Getting to Gaza was already a bit complicated before 7th October. We had to move well in advance to secure the permit to go in.
“After the war started everything got worse, and Palestinians who were from the West Bank couldn’t go to Jerusalem.”
She continued: “They had always been there, but over the last two years we saw an increase in violent attacks from Israeli settlers against Palestinian cars, homes and property. There has also been hostility towards international development workers.”
She described an incident at a checkpoint where they saw commotion and cars turning round to drive back as they approached. An Israeli settler then began throwing rocks at their vehicle.
During the war, the only international workers permitted to enter Gaza were the heads of the Gaza office so that they could work with their Palestinian colleagues who lived there.
Federica added that the worst things she has heard about the war has been from her Gaza colleagues.
“They still can’t believe that the world has let this happen,” she said.
“When the genocide broke out people had already been living under Israeli blockade for 15 years, but at least they weren’t being massacred every day.
“UNDP employees were working in Gaza day and night. The only times they weren’t working was if the internet got cut, they received an evacuation order, or they were trying to find food for their children.”
In the summer of 2025 famine was officially declared in Gaza, and at least 500 people are known to have died because of hunger and malnutrition. Federica says that even for the malnourished children who survived, there will be long-term physical consequences.
As well as trying to provide aid when and where she can, Federica has also lost two of her colleagues. One, a security guard who had been working with the UNDP for two decades before being killed in an Israeli bombing.
“This summer we lost someone who had also been working with us for at least 20 years in an Israeli bomb attack on his house,” Federica said.
“35 members of his family were killed. They were a family of highly educated people, of doctors, engineers, and journalists. There was no affiliation with Hamas or the Islamic Jihad in that household. “One of my colleague’s nephews was out that morning reporting on airstrikes when his family’s house was bombed. He ran back and nothing was left.”
Another INGO aid worker who wished to remain anonymous shared her story of working in Gaza during the onslaught.
“Three days after the 7th October I had to evacuate my house because the whole neighbourhood was going to be targeted,” she said.
“The house is now largely damaged and I cannot live there anymore.
“Even INGO buildings were not safe, they were a target.”
Since the war started, as a community mobiliser the woman became a focal point for protection for the elderly, disabled, sick people, and abused women. Originally from Gaza City, she is involved with significant community engagement and helping to supply essentials such as water to those displaced or injured by the bombings.
Informal camps and shelters, which often take the form of schools and other public places, she says do not provide enough security or privacy for women.
“Some places are completely dark, which can be a problem. They might face any kind of sexual assault,” she said.
“We might find women who got pregnant under the age of 18 because they were raped in a camp or shelter, and because of social norms the perpetrator would be asked to marry the daughter.
“Most of the victims are very deprived and sometimes they don’t understand what happened to them or know about any reporting channels,” she continued.
“For other girls who live in the shelters, their mothers are so scared they will be harassed that they do not allow them to leave the tent.”
She described the harrowing experience of being forced to bake flour containing worms for her children because food options were so limited.
“It is one of the worst memories I have from the war. I felt like I was not the mother I wanted to be,” she said.
Despite everything she has seen and been forced to endure, she finds it hard to imagine hating people she has not seen because of their beliefs.
“Before the war we had permits to go to the West Bank and into Jerusalem. We interacted casually with everyone there and were not afraid to say we were coming from Gaza.
“Jewish people in Jerusalem would say to us that they hoped for peace.”
She added: “I really hope that people in my community see that there is hope, and that we will be able to rebuild together.”
Medical aid charity MAP have been working tirelessly over the past few years and beyond to turn this hope into a reality. In 2024 alone, their team in Gaza worked with 16 partners to support nearly one million people.
A spokesperson for the organisation said: “As a result of the systemic destruction of Gaza’s healthcare system, pregnant women face high-risk births, often without proper medical assistance, anaesthesia, or sanitary conditions, leading to increased maternal and infant mortality.”
In 2024, 7 in 10 women dying in conflict globally were killed in Gaza.
“Women who are living in makeshift shelters, having had their homes destroyed, experience a lack of privacy and often have to share unhygienic and insecure bathrooms with hundreds of other people.
“To try to avoid having to use them, some women have even resorted to avoiding drinking water or eating so they don’t have to go to the bathroom. We know a lot of women who have had to use cut up flour sacks as sanitary pads, or shave their hair off due to a lack of shampoo and other items.
The spokesperson continued: “Despite these challenges, women are not simply passive victims of their circumstances, but often resilient and resourceful actors who are finding solutions and ways to cope with the restrictive and dangerous environments they are regularly forced into.”
“A ceasefire alone won’t end the suffering. A just peace means ending the blockade, forced displacement, apartheid, and occupation.”
On 30th December 2025, Israel was set to revoke the licences of 37 international non-governmental organisations (INGOs) working in Gaza and the West Bank. As of 1st February 2026, the government has announced their intention to ban medical charity Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) from operating in Gaza after the organisation refused to provide a list of people working in the territory.
MSF shared its reasons on 30th January as having not secured assurances ‘to ensure the safety of our staff.’ The charity claims it provides at least 20% of the hospital beds in Gaza and operates around 20 health centres in the territory.
On 2nd February, Israel reopened the Rafah border crossing, which had been closed since May 2024 when the Gazan side was captured by Israeli forces. However, only small numbers of people, not goods, are being allowed through.
Banning MSF, as well as other essential aid organisations, from Gaza will therefore prevent potentially life-saving aid from getting to the areas where people need it the most.
Though a ceasefire has been implemented and the brunt of the violence has decreased or ceased altogether, the Israeli military continue to carry out airstrikes on the basis of ceasefire violations by Hamas. For the men, elderly and children, as well as the women straining to hold their families and communities together, the suffering and devastation wreaked by the conflict may have waned, but it is far from over.
To donate to MAP, click on the link to their website.
If you would like to offer support in other ways, MAP have listed a selection of actions you can take:
- If you are in the UK, email your MP and urge them to call for a permanent end to Israel’s atrocities: https://www.map.org.uk/campaigns/email-your-mp
- Sign our petition calling on the UK government to ensure a permanent end to Israel’s genocide and blockade, which it does not come at the expense of an even further escalation of violence against Palestinians in the West Bank. https://www.map.org.uk/campaigns/take-action
- Fundraise or organise community events to raise awareness and support for Palestinian families.
- Share verified information on social media to help counter misinformation and build pressure for political change.
- Support Palestinian-owned businesses and initiatives.
- Wear visible symbols of solidarity, such as a keffiyeh or a pin badge, to spark conversation and show support.
- Volunteer with charities and grassroots organisations working on Palestinian solidarity.
