2/8 After months of hunger and chaos, women who had lost their homes and families said local men approached them with “offers of help.” Some promised jobs, others offered food or medicine - but there was a catch - only in return for sexual favors.

3/8 “I had to cooperate” one woman told AP. “I needed help for my children. If not me - who else?” Another said a man promised her work with an aid group, lured her to an empty apartment, locked the door, and assaulted her.

4/8 The worst part is that many of the perpetrators were Palestinians wearing NGO or UNRWA badges. One widow said an aid worker who took her number “for assistance” began calling her at night - asking what she wore and demanding she sleep with him for food.

5/8 Six women spoke to AP, all anonymously, afraid of retaliation from their families or their abusers. They said the harassment often began during registration for aid - when men collected their personal details and later used them for exploitation.

6/8 A UN-linked office confirmed receiving at least 18 complaints of sexual abuse tied to aid distribution in Gaza - all against local Palestinian staff. But victims and rights groups said this was only “the tip of the iceberg.”

7/8 Human rights experts said sexual exploitation during conflict is common when women are displaced and dependent on aid. But in Gaza, the silence was deeper - victims feared shame, disbelief, and punishment from their own society.

8/8 These women weren’t victims of war alone. They were victims of men who saw their hunger and vulnerability and used it as currency. Predators who traded food for sex while pretending to be saviors. And a society that chose silence over justice.

Source and illustrations: Associated Press, Oct 2025 Photos: Reuters and AFP

@Brightmind24_7 This is terrible I would hate knowing our hard-earned American money went to the UN who hired those who committed these heinous acts Please investigate @marcorubio @USAmbUN

@Brightmind24_7 Is UNRWA still in business?

@Brightmind24_7 @GAZAWOOD1 I couldn't care less about Pali women. They're complicit in October 7.

@Brightmind24_7 And the world...is silent. Not a single person from the "pro-palestinian" movement will ever actually help. They know how to shout, curse, threaten and destroy. They don't know how to rebuild.

@Brightmind24_7 Illiterate selfish morons

@Brightmind24_7 Religion doesn’t belong in 21st century.

@Brightmind24_7 Clanism at its finest... Nobody cares what the Muslim clan does internally... Especially Muslims...

@Brightmind24_7 @EllaTravelsLove @IAMALITABRIZI More s#xual exploitation Food in exchange. For s3x

@Brightmind24_7 @kweansmom Please share with @JeninYounesEsq