Settler violence, military operations, and movement restrictions in the occupied West Bank have reached a two-decade high, reinforcing a daily cycle of suffering for women and girls.

• UN Women estimates that some 83,200 households in the occupied West Bank are headed by women – representing one in eight households. This figure is likely an underestimate.
• More than 41,500 people have been displaced (OCHA, July 2026), including more than 20,000 women and girls, based on population breakdowns by gender from PCBS in the West Bank.
• Based on UN Women’s analysis of survey data, among women who are formally recognized as household heads:
  • 82 per cent are responsible for managing household income
  • 77 per cent are responsible for childcare
  • 75 per cent make all decisions about household members’ safety
  • 65 per cent handle aid registration alone
• Women household heads are also more likely to be displaced, with 40 per cent of women-headed households no longer living in their original home, compared to 30 per cent of men-headed households.

Checkpoints mean Palestinian women struggle to reach work, collect aid, access healthcare, and move their families to safety without fear.