‘What are you wearing?’: UN aid workers promised Gaza women food and money in exchange for sexual interactions
In Gaza, women are facing harrowing exploitation as aid workers promise food and support in exchange for sexual favours. Amid war and displacement, these survivors share their traumatic experiences, revealing a shocking reality of sexual abuse in humanitarian settings.
As Gaza's humanitarian crisis grows, women say they have been exploited by local men, some associated with aid groups, promising food, money, water, supplies or work in exchange for sexual interactions.
Six women detailed their experiences to The Associated Press, each speaking on condition of anonymity for fear of retribution from their families or the men and because sexual harassment and assault are considered taboo topics.
Gaza women said…
Sometimes, they said, the men's solicitation was blatant: “Let me touch you,” one woman recalled being told.
After struggling for weeks to feed her six children in Gaza, a 38-year-old woman believed she had found hope. At a shelter, a friend mentioned a man who might be able to help with food, aid, or even employment. Separated from her husband and forced to close the small business that once supported her family, she decided to approach him.
About a month into the war, the man promised her a job, a six-month contract with an aid organisation. But when the day came to sign what she thought were official papers, he took her not to an office, but to an empty apartment.
There, he complimented her and asked her to remove her headscarf.
According to the woman, he told her he loved her and wouldn’t force her into anything, yet also refused to let her leave. Eventually, a sexual encounter occurred. She chose not to share specific details, describing the experience as one marked by fear and shame.
“I had to play along because I was scared. I wanted out of this place,” the woman said.
Before she left, she said, he handed her some money, 100 shekels, about $30. Two weeks later, he gave her a box of medicine and a box of food.
But for weeks, the job didn't materialise.
According to aid organisations and experts, exploitation frequently occurs during times of conflict and crisis, especially when people are displaced and dependent on humanitarian aid. Similar reports of abuse and exploitation have surfaced during emergencies in countries such as South Sudan, Burkina Faso, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Chad, and Haiti.
“It’s a horrible reality that humanitarian crises make people vulnerable in many ways — increased sexual violence is often a consequence,” said Heather Barr, associate director for the women’s rights division at Human Rights Watch.
“The situation in Gaza today is unspeakable, especially for women and girls.”
What do psychologists working in Gaza say?
Four psychologists working with women in Gaza shared with the Associated Press that they have treated numerous cases involving sexual exploitation. One psychologist, from an organisation focused on protecting women and children, said their team had dealt with dozens of cases in which men took advantage of vulnerable women, some of whom became pregnant as a result.
All four psychologists are Palestinians employed by local organisations in Gaza. They spoke on the condition of anonymity due to the sensitive nature of the cases and the need to protect the women’s privacy in a deeply conservative society, where any form of sexual activity outside marriage is considered a serious offence.
Among the women who shared their experiences with the AP, five said they had refused the men’s advances and did not engage in any sexual contact. According to the psychologists, while some women gave in to the pressure, others resisted.
Six human rights and relief organisations — including the local Palestinian group the Women’s Affairs Center, and the Protection from Sexual Exploitation and Abuse network, which coordinates with various aid groups, including United Nations agencies — told AP they were aware of reports of sexual abuse and exploitation linked to receiving aid.
90% of population displaced in Gaza
Aid groups say the context in Gaza — nearly two years of war, the displacement of at least 90% of the population, and turmoil over aid access — has made humanitarian work for vulnerable people particularly challenging. As hunger and desperation grow across the enclave, women in particular say they've been pushed to make impossible decisions, AP reported.
The groups blame Israel’s offensive and blockade for the humanitarian crisis and say the war has made documenting exploitation cases difficult. More than 66,000 Palestinians have been killed, according to Gaza's Health Ministry, which is part of the Hamas-run government and staffed by medical professionals. The ministry does not say how many of those killed were civilians or combatants, but it says women and children make up around half the fatalities.
“Israel’s siege on the Gaza Strip and the restrictions on humanitarian aid are what’s forcing women to resort to this,” said Amal Syam, director of the Women’s Affairs Center.
Israel says there are no restrictions on aid and that it has taken steps to expand what comes into Gaza. Israel also accuses Hamas of siphoning off aid — without providing evidence of widespread diversion — and blames UN agencies for failing to deliver food it has allowed in. The UN denies there is widespread aid diversion.
'What are you wearing?’ asks UNRWA aid worker
A 35-year-old widow told the Associated Press that the phone calls started in October, about a year into the war. Initially, the man’s questions seemed routine — asking about her husband and children.
But soon, she said, the tone shifted to inappropriate and invasive questions, including “what kind of underwear she was wearing and how her husband had pleased her”.
She recalled meeting the man in Muwasi, a strip of land designated by Israel as a humanitarian zone. While waiting in line for aid, she said she gave her phone number to a Palestinian aid worker wearing a UNRWA uniform — referring to the United Nations Relief and Works Agency.
Also Read: Gaza children face battle for survival: 10 disturbing photos of horrific hunger crisis and misery
Shortly after he took her number, the late-night calls began. He would ask sexual questions, she said, and she’d stay silent. She said, “At one point, he asked to come to her for sex”. She refused, and after nearly a dozen calls but no aid, she blocked his number, she added.
The woman said she reported him to UNRWA in Gaza in a verbal complaint. She said she was told she needed a recording of the conversations as proof, but she had an old phone that couldn't record calls.
UNRWA says ‘survivors can report anonymously’
UNRWA communications director Juliette Touma said via email that the agency has a zero-tolerance policy for sexual exploitation, takes each report seriously, and doesn't require proof. But she wouldn't say whether staff were aware of this particular incident, citing UNRWA's policy against discussing individual cases, and wouldn't comment further on its awareness or work on exploitation cases overall.
The PSEA (Protection from Sexual Exploitation and Abuse) network to which UNRWA belongs said survivors can report anonymously or without naming the perpetrator and are never required to provide proof.
Understanding the scale of exploitation is challenging, said Sarah Achiro, a coordinator for the network, which works to prevent and respond to sexual exploitation and abuse in humanitarian and development settings. Gaza’s limited connectivity restricts calls that could report abuse, and constant displacement makes it harder for survivors to seek in-person help and for aid groups to build trust.
Achiro noted that sexual violence is vastly underreported, particularly in humanitarian and conflict settings, where data often shows just “the tip of the iceberg”.
Also Read: Gaza boy killed in Israeli airstrike while fetching water, father says he ‘just wanted a sip’
The PSEA network reported receiving 18 allegations of sexual abuse and exploitation in Gaza last year, all tied to the delivery of humanitarian aid. These cases involved aid workers or individuals affiliated with aid operations, such as community representatives or private contractors.
Investigations into allegations against aid workers are carried out by their respective employing organisations. The PSEA network declined to say how many of these cases are currently under investigation, citing confidentiality policies that prevent disclosure until cases are formally closed.
'I told myself that no one would believe it'
Four of the women who spoke to AP said the men who solicited them identified themselves as aid workers, and, in one case, a community leader promising aid.
The UN and aid groups generally work with local communities: paying people as contractors, using volunteers, or having leaders appointed by the community as liaisons.
The mother of six said the man who promised her a job drove a car with UN markings. After their interaction, she said, the messages kept coming — late-night sexual calls and requests for photos. She described dodging them with excuses: She was busy, her phone was broken, she couldn’t talk.
But about a month after their sexual interaction, she saw the man at an aid site, in December 2023. He then helped her get a six-month position with UNRWA, which she completed, she said.
She told AP she never reported the man, their encounter or his exploitation attempts.
“I told myself that no one would believe it,” she said. “Maybe they would say I am only saying this so that they would give me a job.”
Asked about the woman’s story, UNRWA’s Touma emphasised the organisation’s zero-tolerance policy and said it would seek more information on the exploitation incidents and accusations.
Due to the interaction and her job, the woman has been displaced, doesn't have work and struggles to feed her family. She said she blocked the man's number, but he’s tried to contact her as recently as this summer.
Groups say that despite stigma, exploitation is clearly on the rise
Before the war, exploitation reports happened once or twice a year, but are up dramatically, said Syam, of the Women’s Affairs Center. But she said many organisations won't highlight the numbers or the issue.
“Most of us prefer to keep the focus on the violence and violations committed by the Israeli occupation,” Syam said.
Israel says it is fighting to dismantle Hamas and release the hostages taken in the 2023 attack that sparked the war, and that it mitigates civilian harm as much as possible.
The women who spoke to AP said it’s important to try to hold on to their dignity as the war continues.
For weeks last fall, a 29-year-old mother said she received calls from an aid worker asking her to marry him in exchange for nutritional supplements for her four children. She refused and blocked his number, she said, but he called from different phones. He insisted he liked her and made distasteful comments that she called too vulgar to repeat.
"I felt completely humiliated," she said. “I had to go and ask for help for my children. If I didn’t do it, who would?"
Several women have reported being approached multiple times by different men during the ongoing conflict, often with inappropriate or exploitative intentions.
(With inputs from AP)
- Sexual exploitation in humanitarian settings is often underreported, particularly in conflict zones.
- Vulnerability increases during crises, leading to a rise in sexual violence against women.
- Organizations must improve their reporting and accountability mechanisms to protect vulnerable populations.