GAZA, March 9 (Bernama-Xinhua) -- Balancing a small basket of freshly baked cakes on her head, Areej al-Ahmad moves slowly through the narrow alleys of a displacement camp in Khan Younis, calling out to the few customers who pass between tents and piles of rubble.
Nearly two years ago, the 37-year-old mother lost her husband in an Israeli airstrike that struck a neighbouring house. The explosion also injured her leg, leaving her in constant pain. Since then, she has been raising their three children alone.
Yet every day, she walks long distances through devastated neighbourhoods to sell cakes, the family's only source of income.
"My husband's death forced me to take responsibility for everything in my children's lives," al-Ahmad said, reported Xinhua. "Overnight, I became both mother and father to them. Some days I walk more than 15 kilometres. The pain never leaves me, but my children depend on me. I cannot stop."
Across Gaza, thousands of women have found themselves in similar positions since the war began, thrust into the role of primary providers after losing husbands, homes and livelihoods. As the world marks International Women's Day, their stories highlight the growing burdens many women now shoulder amid the enclave's deepening humanitarian crisis.
Al-Ahmad's day begins before sunrise. Inside her tent, she gathers firewood and prepares dough to bake cakes for sale. After hours walking through damaged neighbourhoods, she returns home to fetch water, cook and care for her children.
"We wake up to fill water containers, gather firewood and cook," she said. "Then I go out to sell cakes and return home to prepare food for my children."
Life was once different, she said.
"Before the war, I was supposed to be in my house taking care of my family and preparing food for my husband and children," she said. "Now I have to do everything alone."
In a nearby camp, 42-year-old Om Mohammed al-Agha has also taken on a role she never expected.
She arranges bags of sweets and potato chips on a small wooden table, hoping to attract children passing through the camp.
"After my husband died 15 months ago, I had to keep my family afloat," she said. "I had never worked before, but now I have no choice."
Her husband, a day labourer, had been the family's sole breadwinner. After his death, their home was destroyed and the family moved into a tent.
"I decided to sell sweets and chips to survive," she said.
The small profits allow her to buy bread and other essentials. But the emotional weight remains heavy.
"Sometimes my children ask when their father will come home," she said quietly. "I don't know how to answer."
The struggles faced by al-Ahmad, al-Agha, and thousands of other women reflect the scale of Gaza's humanitarian crisis.
Palestinian medical officials say the war that began on Oct 7, 2023, has killed more than 72,000 people, wounded tens of thousands and caused widespread destruction of homes, schools, hospitals, and businesses.
According to the Palestinian Ministry of Women's Affairs, more than 12,500 women, including over 9,000 mothers, have been killed since the Israeli offensive began.
More than 21,000 women have been widowed, while the deaths of tens of thousands of men have left many families without their primary breadwinner.
The Palestinian Ministry of Labour estimates that about 57,000 women have become the main earners for their families since the war began.
For some women, the losses extend beyond economic hardship.
In Gaza City, 28-year-old Abeer al-Assi lost both of her children in an airstrike. She now spends hours waiting outside charitable organisations to receive food aid.
"My children were killed during an Israeli airstrike," she said. "I could not save them, and I still remember their screams."
Her home, she said, now feels empty. "Every day I wake up and remember what happened," she said. "The laughter that once filled our house is gone."
Al-Assi said International Women's Day should remind the world of the suffering of women living through conflict.
"Every woman here carries a painful story," she said. "Some lost husbands, others sons, and some homes and belongings."
In Deir al-Balah in central Gaza, 35-year-old Suheir Harara is coping with a different kind of loss.
An airstrike destroyed her family home, killing more than 35 relatives in a single night.
"That night changed everything," she said, sitting near the graves of family members. "I lost my parents and brothers, and I still hear their screams before I sleep."
Beyond grief, daily survival remains a constant challenge for women across Gaza. Clean water is scarce, electricity is sporadic, and medical services are overwhelmed.
Local aid groups say families often wait hours to obtain water and food, with women frequently carrying heavy containers over long distances.
Harara said the suffering of Gaza's women has received too little international attention.
"We need more support," she said. "Women here have lost their families, their homes, and the lives they once knew."
--BERNAMA-XINHUA
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