Holding On in the Midst of War

At just 23 years old, Noor* has endured more loss than many face in a lifetime. The war took her husband. Displacement forced her from her home in Khan Younis, in southern Gaza. And for a time, she almost lost hope.

Today, she lives with her three young children in a tent in al-Mawasi, a crowded coastal strip designated a “safe zone,” yet overwhelmed by families fleeing the north, including Gaza City. The conditions are dire. Tents and toilets are scarce and often unaffordable. Many families struggle to secure even the most basic shelter.

Overnight, Noor became her children’s sole provider.

*To protect her safety and privacy, a pseudonym is used in this story.

I play the role of a mother and a father… Everything.

When her husband was killed, the shock shattered more than her sense of security. She could not sleep. She felt constantly on edge. She couldn’t focus on anything, and the smallest things made her irritable. “Every time I remember my husband, I feel like I can’t go on,” she once shared. She tried to stay strong for her children, to carry on alone, but the weight of trauma was starting to wear her down.

It was the women around her who first encouraged her to seek help. Through word of mouth, she started to join group support sessions led by a psychiatrist at the Center for Women’s Legal Research, Counseling and Protection (CWLRCP), a women’s rights civil society organization supported by the United Nations Women’s Peace and Humanitarian Fund (WPHF).

As the psychological toll of war and displacement deepens, CWLRCP has stepped up to meet the growing needs of women and girls, providing safe shelter, one-on-one psychosocial support, and activities like games and storytelling to help young girls release stress and process trauma.

We women talk to each other all the time. But sometimes, we need someone to support us.

At first, Noor could barely put into words the pain she was feeling. She was constantly anxious, exhausted, and emotionally burdened. But little by little, in a room full of women who knew what loss felt like, she began to open up.

Across Gaza and the West Bank, thousands of women are carrying similar invisible wounds. Many have lost their husbands, their children, their homes, and their livelihoods. Yet they are expected to hold their families together while navigating grief, displacement, and constant uncertainty. For women and girls, often the caregivers, providers, and protectors of their communities, there is rarely time or space to process their own pain.

With individual counseling, Noor began learning simple but powerful tools: how to breathe deeply when panic rises, how to relax her body, how to write down the thoughts that overwhelm her. “I learned how to train my nervous system,” she says. For the first time since her husband’s death, she felt a sense of control slowly returning. Her mother also joined some of the sessions, learning how to stand beside her daughter in moments of fear and anxiety.

Gradually, change became visible. She grew calmer. She slept better. She learned to challenge the harsh thoughts that once consumed her. Most importantly, she regained the strength to care for herself and her children. And the support has not stopped: through regular phone calls and home visits, her counselor continues to check in on her wellbeing and help her strengthen the coping mechanisms she has learned.

Today, Noor speaks with clarity about what women need: psychological support, social networks, legal protection, and real opportunities to rebuild their lives. She believes in women standing by one another.

Women feel for each other. They have almost the same experiences, and that creates a unique bond no one else shares.

Her strength comes from her faith, her children, her family, and a renewed belief in herself. When asked what message she would send to the world, her answer is simple and powerful: support women. Help them live. Help them earn a living. Help them rebuild their lives with dignity.

Noor enters a building in Gaza. (Photo: Soliman Hijji)