Across Gaza, the consequences of the war extend far beyond the moment of injury. Every day, women are left with permanent disabilities that have transformed every aspect of their lives. Many have lost their livelihoods, their independence, and their ability to access healthcare, while the destruction of Gaza's health system has left them without the specialized treatment they urgently need. Beyond their physical injuries, many also face social isolation, psychological trauma, and limited opportunities to rebuild their futures.
At Women for Women International, we know that surviving an injury is only the beginning. Without continued rehabilitation, psychosocial support, and opportunities to regain financial independence, women with disabilities are at risk of being excluded from their communities and pushed further into poverty.
Hanaa Abdel Aal is one of these women.
Before the war, the 27-year-old lived a relatively stable life with her husband and young son. She had built a small home-based business producing and selling nuts and legumes to local shops and roasteries, creating an income that allowed her to support her family and build a more secure future.
Everything changed on 23 October 2023.
A strike hit the area where Hanaa was living, causing a severe head injury. The attack damaged the nerves on the right side of her body, leaving her with limited mobility, particularly affecting her face and jaw. It also damaged her optic nerve, resulting in partial vision loss.
In the days following the injury, doctors told Hanaa that she had around a 50% chance of recovering some of her eyesight if she received urgent specialized treatment. But as Gaza's healthcare system collapsed, the surgery she needed was never available. Attempts to secure medical referrals outside Gaza were unsuccessful, and her condition gradually deteriorated. Today, her chances of regaining her vision have fallen to around 10%.
Hanaa continues to live with constant pain, limited mobility, and partial visual impairment. Everyday activities that were once routine have become daily challenges.
Now displaced in a tent in Khan Younis, southern Gaza, Hanaa faces an environment that is very difficult on all levels. Moving around inside the tent is difficult, while the extreme summer heat aggravates her condition. She continues to live with medical stitches that cannot tolerate prolonged exposure to high temperatures, and the shelter offers none of the conditions necessary to protect her remaining eyesight or support her recovery.
The injury has affected every part of Hanaa's life. Unable to continue her business, she lost her only source of income. The emotional impact has been equally devastating. She describes losing much of her confidence after facing pity and judgment from those around her, as though she were somehow responsible for what had happened.
Her personal life also changed dramatically. Her husband left her following the injury, leaving Hanaa to raise their young son alone under extraordinarily difficult circumstances. Her son struggled to understand what had happened to his mother and became frightened by the visible effects of her injuries, often withdrawing from her because he could not cope with seeing her this way.
Today, one of Hanaa's greatest challenges is simply accessing services. Her disability makes movement difficult, while repeated failures to receive treatment and rejected medical referrals have left her feeling increasingly hopeless. Reaching out to organizations to ask for help has become another obstacle in a life already shaped by loss.
Hanaa is one of 30 women participating in Women for Women International's program in Gaza, delivered through our trusted local partner, Stars of Hope for the Empowerment of Women with Disabilities. The program is designed specifically to support women who have acquired disabilities because of the war, recognizing that recovery must address far more than physical injuries.
Women first participate in group psychosocial support sessions, creating safe spaces where they can share their experiences, rebuild confidence, strengthen solidarity, and reduce the isolation many have experienced since their injuries. Women requiring additional support are then offered individual psychosocial counseling based on their needs and personal requests.
As the program progresses, participants also receive training in financial literacy, savings, and economic skills, alongside individual assessments to identify livelihood opportunities that match their abilities, interests, and the realities of living with a disability.
In addition, dedicated sessions on sexual and reproductive health will be provided for them to address their injuries, their bodies, and how to handle each situation individually.
With continued donations and support, the program aims to provide small business grants that will enable women like Hanaa to rebuild sustainable livelihoods, regain financial independence, and create more secure futures for themselves and their families.
Hanaa's story is not unique. It represents the reality faced by countless women across Gaza whose injuries have become lifelong challenges because conflict has stripped away both healthcare and opportunity.
Humanitarian assistance goes beyond emergency relief. It should support long term recovery, ensuring that women living with disabilities have the resources, and opportunities they need to reclaim their independence, rebuild their lives, and live with dignity.