Gaza, Daily Mail investigation: “Abuse and blackmail in Gaza on vulnerable women under Hamas”

According to the investigation by the British newspaper, several women who are displaced, widowed or without economic support are exposed to blackmail linked to the distribution of humanitarian aid and to pressure from individuals who present themselves as belonging to welfare structures or linked to local power.

Among the testimonies collected, a man said he witnessed an episode in which a widow was found in a tent being harassed by members of the al-Qassam Brigades, the military wing of Hamas. According to his story, the case was reported to the local leaders without public consequences, indeed with the instruction to maintain silence.

Another testimony instead refers to alleged blackmail linked to aid: a woman was apparently approached by a charitable organization which conditioned the distribution of basic necessities to requests of a sexual nature. Again, these are statements that cannot be independently verified.

The Daily Mail also reports the case of a man who claims to belong to the al-Qassam Brigades and who reports incidents of abuse against “martyrs’ widows”, claiming to have informed his superiors without action being taken. Another testimony collected anonymously for security reasons comes from a displaced woman who says she was contacted by a man who introduced himself as the manager of a charity. According to his story, after initially offering help, the man made inappropriate requests and sexual insinuations, accompanied by pressure and intimidation.

Finally, the Daily Mail also refers to data from the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), which report an increase in early marriages and teenage pregnancies in the Gaza Strip, phenomena interpreted as a consequence of the deterioration of living conditions.