Beyond the headlines: What the ongoing conflicts really mean for women and girls in the Middle East
Civilians continue to be killed, injured and displaced, while impacts on women and girls are escalating within – and well beyond – the region.
The military escalation in the Middle East has had a devastating impact on women and girls across the region, and far beyond.
In just two months, the military strikes – including in populated areas and residential zones – have killed and injured thousands of civilians. Homes and critical infrastructure have been completely decimated, and the destruction has displaced millions of people.
UN Women’s ongoing research shows how women and girls are uniquely and disproportionately impacted by conflict and displacement. Right now, the systems that support the health, safety and livelihoods of women and girls in the Middle East are straining – or collapsing entirely – under the pressure of the escalating violence.
While much of the military operations are concentrated in Iran and Lebanon, strikes, displacement and infrastructure damage across the Middle East are disrupting humanitarian access in already fragile areas like Gaza and Yemen. The conflict – which is disrupting global supply-chains in the Strait of Hormuz – is raising energy prices and food insecurity across the world.
For women and girls, these crises are interconnected.
How many women have been killed or injured in the Middle East conflict?
Since the escalation erupted on 28 February 2026, thousands of women have reportedly been killed or injured by military operations and violence in countries across the region.
- Women in Iran: As of 21 April, 496 women had been reportedly killed and 4,000 injured, according to the Iranian Ministry of Health and Medical Education.
- Women in Lebanon: As of 26 April, at least 277 women had been reportedly killed and 1,250 injured. The deadliest day in Lebanon so far was 8 April, when 99 women were killed in intensified Israeli airstrikes.
As of 10 April, women and girls have reportedly been killed in Bahrain, Iraq, Israel, Kuwait, Palestine, and the United Arab Emirates.
The hardest moments [for health workers] are when you are searching for a loved one after an airstrike, and then you must return to work because patients are waiting.
How does displacement affect women and girls in conflict?
Within the first month of the escalation, an estimated 1.2 million people were displaced in Lebanon, including 620,000 women and girls – representing 1 in 4 Lebanese women and girls. In Iran, up to an estimated 3.2 million people have been displaced – including 1.6 million women and girls.
Women and girls experience displacement differently to men and boys. Displacement:
- increases their exposure and risk of gender-based violence, exploitation, abuse, and other protection risks
- forces women and girls to shelter in overcrowded spaces with little to no privacy
- severely disrupts access to healthcare, income, education, and support networks
Women and girls often carry additional caregiving responsibilities – like caring for children, sick family members, and the elderly. These responsibilities increase during displacement as support systems break down, making it even hard to sustain and protect families.
In Iran, restrictions on internet and mobile connectivity are also reducing access to information, livelihoods and services – and increasing risks for women who document abuses or seek help.
How is the escalation affecting healthcare in the Middle East?
The immense scale of displacement and damage to infrastructure have left women and girls struggling to access even basic healthcare.
In Lebanon, more than 150 attacks on healthcare have been recorded between 2 March and 29 April 2026, including the killing of personnel and the destruction of hospitals. In Gaza, border-crossing closures and constraints on humanitarian access – worsened by the escalation in the Middle East – have further reduced access to life-saving support for women and girls.
“[Health workers] have had to stretch beyond our limits many times. The centres are always full. I can diagnose and prescribe, but many medicines are not available. Infant formula, diapers and basic hygiene items are all scarce.
In many cases, the most urgent needs go beyond food and water. More children are showing signs of trauma, including psychological regression and loss of bladder control.”
– Dr. Marie Al Ghoush
Why is food insecurity rising for women and girls in the Middle East and globally?
The military escalation in the Middle East is disrupting global supply chains for food and fuel. Instability in the Strait of Hormuz has contributed to rising costs on these essentials, which in turn drive up food prices – felt hardest by low-income countries already facing food insecurity.
For women and girls, who are often the last to eat and have fewer economic resources, these global disruptions translate directly into increased hunger, poverty and vulnerability. Women, especially, often miss meals or go days without food to prioritize the needs of others.
We are already seeing the impact. UN Women estimates that more than 24 million women and girls across Iraq, Lebanon, Palestine, Syria, and Yemen are facing deepening food insecurity.
In countries including Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Myanmar, Somalia, and Sudan, millions more women and girls are facing risks of acute hunger or emergency-level food insecurity. This increases the risks of malnutrition and poor health outcomes, especially for pregnant women, adolescent girls and households headed by women.
How does conflict worsen gender inequality?
Conflict not only undermines the safety and well-being of women and girls, it increases their immediate humanitarian risks, and deepens longer-term socioeconomic vulnerabilities. In other words, conflict pushes women and girls into – or deeper into – poverty.
During displacement and conflict, gender-based violence increases. It also further limits access to and destabilizes essential services, including healthcare, legal services and mental health support.
Gender inequality is intertwined with the economic impacts of conflict and displacement. Many women in the region already work in insecure, informal, low-paid jobs, which makes them more vulnerable when economies are hit. Families are also receiving less financial support from relatives abroad, increasing pressure on women who are the main providers.
In some countries already facing crises, including Afghanistan, pre-existing inequalities are expected to deepen further – including rising risks of child marriage, adolescent pregnancy, and maternal mortality.
Women’s rights organizations, which are critical to humanitarian response and peacebuilding in the region, are operating under escalating security risks and severe funding gaps. Human rights defenders are faced with intimidation, arbitrary arrest, detention and lethal violence.
What is UN Women doing?
UN Women is on the ground across the Middle East and affected countries in the Caucuses, Africa and Asia. We are working to reach women and girls with essential services, address the gendered impacts explored above, and protect fragile gains in gender equality.
UN Women is:
- leading gender-equality advocacy across the United Nations system, including humanitarian and refugee responses
- building women-led peacebuilding and mediation networks
- supporting the collection, analysis and use of gender data to ensure humanitarian, development, and peace and security efforts respond to the real needs of women and girls
- working with women-led and women’s rights organizations to deliver essential services, strengthen gender-responsive humanitarian action, and advance women’s leadership and protection
“I live between two realities, caring for my patients while also caring for my children under the same uncertainty. I am still searching for a sense of normal life.”
– Dr. Marie Al Ghoush
What is UN Women’s message to protect the rights and leadership of women and girls in the Middle East?
UN Women is calling for urgent action to protect women and girls affected by the escalation in the Middle East.
This includes upholding the ceasefire agreements, full compliance with international humanitarian law, and representation of women in peace processes in line with the Women, Peace and Security agenda. Women human rights defenders and women-led organizations must also be protected – and civic space safeguarded.
We call for guaranteed humanitarian assistance with safe delivery of aid that reaches and meets the needs of women and girls, as well as increased support for services – including protection from violence, reproductive health, food and shelter. We also call for stronger support for women’s livelihoods and social protection, so that this new economic hardship does not deepen inequality.
UN Women calls for the prevention of further militarization and investing more in long-term prevention, recovery and resilience – including stable funding for critical women-led responses.