West Bank Women Skip Meals and Take Loans to Keep Families Afloat

Half of the women heading households who spoke to UN Women said they were skipping meals because of food shortages, and two-thirds reported taking out loans to make ends meet.

For women heading households in the occupied West Bank, feeding children, finding work and collecting assistance have become responsibilities shaped by fear, loss and roads they no longer feel safe travelling. A new UN Women analysis describes families struggling to meet basic needs amid settler violence, Israeli military operations and movement restrictions, with women taking on the financial and caring responsibilities of households already shaken by bereavement, detention or displacement.

The press release reports that Israeli security forces had killed more than 1,050 Palestinians since October 2023 as of 31 January 2026, including 1,025 men and boys, and that more than 22,300 people had been detained, most of them men and boys. These figures carry consequences that extend through entire families, leaving mothers searching for news of sons, partners grieving and children coping with loss. Women suddenly responsible for running households must find income and support in conditions that make ordinary tasks difficult and expose them to greater risks of poverty, exclusion and violence.

Families Face Loss Without the Security of Home

An estimated 83,200 households in the occupied West Bank are headed by women, representing one in eight households, although UN Women cautions that the number is probably higher. Its analysis found that 40 per cent of women-headed households were no longer living in their original homes, compared with 30 per cent of men-headed households, showing how frequently the responsibility of providing for a family comes with the disruption of displacement.

Fear reaches beyond the loss of a home, affecting how families experience daily life and think about their children's safety. Three quarters of Palestinians consulted by UN Women said they did not feel safe in their everyday lives, and half identified their children's security as a major concern. Among women heading households, 57 per cent said they feared arrest, a concern shared by 76 per cent of men, adding another source of uncertainty for families already struggling to maintain stability.

Skipping Meals and Borrowing to Get Through the Day

Half of the women heading households who spoke to UN Women said they were skipping meals because of food shortages, and two-thirds reported taking out loans to make ends meet. Going without food and borrowing money describe the difficult choices families are making to cover immediate needs, with debt adding obligations that can make recovery harder even after the most urgent expenses have been met.

Access to income and assistance is constrained by an estimated 925 movement obstacles across the occupied West Bank, including staffed checkpoints, road barriers and trenches, the highest number recorded in two decades according to the release. Every woman household head interviewed said she avoided checkpoints altogether, and nine in ten said checkpoints made them feel unsafe. For someone responsible for buying food, reaching employment or collecting aid, that fear can put essential parts of daily life beyond reach.

Women Need Safety and Support They Can Reach

UN Women is calling for immediate action to end violence, movement restrictions and home demolitions across the occupied West Bank, including East Jerusalem, and to protect civilians in line with international law. The organisation says women-headed households need dedicated support that includes women with disabilities and connects opportunities to earn a living with social protection, healthcare, shelter and protection services, reflecting the range of pressures families face rather than treating each need in isolation.

Through women-led organisations across the West Bank, UN Women provides psychosocial support, protection services, legal assistance and access to aid. Its appeal to the international community calls for civilian protection, freedom of movement and accountability for violence, recognising that women's determination to support their families cannot replace the safety and practical assistance they need to live their daily lives.