Child marriages have risen sharply in Gaza amid the ongoing war and humanitarian collapse, with families increasingly turning to early marriage as a means of survival, according to testimonies from affected residents and data cited by officials and aid workers. The worsening conditions in the Gaza Strip, where displacement, destruction, and shortages of basic necessities have become widespread, have left many families struggling to survive.

In this environment, some parents have resorted to marrying off their teenage daughters in the hope of ensuring financial security and protection, even as experts warn of long-term physical and psychological consequences. One such case is that of a woman identified only as Majda, who said she was forced by circumstances to marry off her 13- and 14-year-old daughters after losing her husband and eldest son in airstrikes. Living in extreme deprivation in a makeshift tent, she said fear and insecurity drove her decision, though she now deeply regrets it.

According to figures cited from Gaza’s Supreme Shariah Court, 20.6% of recorded marriages in 2024 and 2025 involved girls under the age of 18, including hundreds involving girls under 15. Rights groups say the actual rate could be higher due to unregistered marriages amid wartime chaos. The Palestinian Central Bureau of Statistics had previously recorded a decline in child marriages before the conflict, indicating a reversal of earlier trends.

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The situation reflects broader social and economic breakdown in the territory, where prolonged displacement and limited access to education have further increased vulnerability among adolescent girls. Aid dependency and lack of stable shelter have also contributed to families viewing early marriage as a coping mechanism, despite legal minimum age provisions that restrict such unions under normal circumstances.

Multiple testimonies collected by the Associated Press describe cases of abuse, forced pregnancies, and severe health risks faced by underage brides, particularly in conditions of malnutrition and limited medical care. Health workers in Gaza report a rise in teenage pregnancies and complications during childbirth, including miscarriages and life-threatening bleeding.

In Majda’s case, she later described severe abuse faced by her daughters after marriage, including violence and repeated pregnancies. She said both eventually returned home after fleeing their husbands, but were later pressured to go back due to family and financial constraints. The case underscores the fragile position of young girls in conflict zones, where survival pressures are increasingly reshaping traditional social structures and leading to long-term human rights concerns.

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