Child marriages surge in Gaza as war tightens grip on girls’ futures

GAZA, The Occupied Palestinian Territory - "When my aunt asked for my hand in marriage for her son, my father agreed immediately," said Amal*, from Khan Younis in southern Gaza. But the ceremony wasn't a happy one - at least not for her. "There was no wedding, no dress, no celebration," she said. "It felt like a deal to get rid of a burden."

Reports of child marriages are rising across Gaza as displacement, poverty and the collapse of social, legal, health and protection systems fuel insecurity and force families into impossible choices. For many, marrying a daughter off can be seen as a way to cope financially, or to protect girls from the sexual abuse and coercion that are all too common in crisis settings.

"I married to escape one hardship, only to find another" - Amal, 15

Amal, who was just 14 at the time, searched for some light in her despair. "I told myself maybe life would be better. Maybe someone would care for me and I wouldn't go to bed hungry. But my wedding night was very hard."

She suffered severe bleeding from being forced to have sex while still a child, while malnourished, and while her small body was weakened from months of displacement and stress. "I married to escape one hardship, only to find another," she told UNFPA, the United Nations Population Fund, which is the UN's sexual and reproductive health agency.

UNFPA's centres offer young people gender-based violence response and protection, psychological support, sexual and reproductive health information, hygiene supplies, and awareness-raising sessions to counter the rise of child marriage and early pregnancy. © UNFPA/Social Development Forum

The war is reversing decades of progress made in reducing child marriage in Gaza: In 2022, registered marriages of girls under age 18 had dropped to 17.9 per cent, from over 28 per cent in 2009. Although data are now scarce as information, legal and health systems have largely been destroyed, case workers report rates are rising steeply.

Yet even these figures are likely an underestimate; many unions won't be formally registered until later, once services have stabilized, or when the girl has reached legal age or becomes pregnant. All of this leaves girls devoid of legal protection or access to their rights.

Rising rates - and risks - of adolescent pregnancy

In December 2025, almost 10 per cent of newly registered pregnancies were to adolescents, many of whom were malnourished, anaemic and had scarce access to antenatal care.

"I always rejected the idea of marriage. I wanted to succeed in my beauty salon project and build my future," said Hiba* from Beit Hanoun in northern Gaza, who was married at 16 years old. "But the life I dreamed of disappeared. I went through repeated miscarriages within six months. The war took my home, my work, and even my pregnancies."

Only around one quarter of health facilities in Gaza can currently provide emergency obstetric and newborn care, significantly increasing the risk of complications. With barely any supplies allowed into the territory, including sexual and reproductive health essentials, the consequences can be devastating - and even lethal.

For Amal, having a baby was almost inconceivable. "Now I think about becoming a mother, but I keep wondering how I will feed my child, and whether my body can survive pregnancy and childbirth."

I went through repeated miscarriages within six months. The war took my home, my work, and even my pregnancies." - Hiba, 17

Sutra and the breakdown of protection systems

UNFPA-supported initiatives for young people in Gaza also help girls build leadership skills and participate in youth-led initiatives, empowering them to play an active role in their communities and preserve hope for a better future. © UNFPA/Social Development Forum

There are also increasing reports of coercion, gender-based violence and severe psychological distress among Gaza's adolescent girls. For many families, marriage provides a form of protection, or sutra, against abuse - but it can also carry its own threats, in the form of intimate partner violence, denial of rights and adolescent pregnancy.

To provide a secure environment where girls can seek immediate and longer-term help, UNFPA currently supports 20 safe spaces, 15 youth hubs and 11 girls' tents across Gaza. These centres offer gender-based violence response and protection, psychological support, sexual and reproductive health information, hygiene supplies, and awareness-raising sessions to counter the rise of child marriage and early pregnancy.

"I agreed to marry at 15 because he had a house, and I thought it would mean safety and stability" - Safa, 16

Perhaps above all, they are a rare sanctuary where girls can find a sense of normality in the midst of the crisis.

Safa* fled from one shelter to another after her family's home in North Gaza was bombed. "There was no privacy, no food and no safety," she told UNFPA at a safe space. "My pregnant mother grew weaker every day, and I was also sick from malnutrition. I agreed to marry at 15 because he had a house, and I thought it would mean safety and stability."

That hope would quickly fade. "There was no house, no celebration, only a tent. I felt older than my years, carrying responsibilities that were too heavy for me. Now I am waiting for a child in a damaged room, after everything we lost."

The majority of schools in Gaza have also been destroyed or repurposed as shelters, meaning the loss of one of the strongest protective factors against child marriage.

"Because of the war, I was forced to leave school," said Manal*, 17, at a UNFPA-supported safe space. "Today I sit in one of the shelter schools, living as a wife under a roof of pain, not as a student carrying her books and dreaming of her future."

Adolescent girls find an outlet for self-expression and dress relief through journaling, drawing, handicrafts and dialogue sessions. They also engaged in health and life skills education, including communication, personal hygiene, and the physical and psychological changes of adolescence. © UNFPA/Save Youth Future Society.

UNFPA response

Beyond immediate support, the UNFPA-supported initiatives for young people in Gaza help girls build leadership skills and participate in youth-led initiatives, empowering them to play an active role in their communities and preserve hope for a better future.

Yasmine, a young volunteer said, "The girls' tent is important not just because it focuses on teenage girls, but because it promotes self-care in such tough times. The large turnout and great questions showed how much this support is needed."

*Names changed for privacy and protection