This case study focuses on Gazan women’s experience of exercising voice and leadership in a complex, rapidly evolving, conflict-affected context. Historically, Palestinian women have enjoyed comparatively high levels of education and been relatively active in social and political movements, especially in the context of broader nationalist struggles against the Israeli occupation.

However, since 2007, the occupied Palestinian Territories (OPTs) have become politically divided between the West Bank, governed by the Fatah-controlled secular Palestinian Authority (PA), and the Gaza Strip governed by the socially conservative Islamist Hamas government. Accordingly, this case study seeks to explore how and how much opportunities for women’s voice and leadership have shifted in Gaza during this period, and the role of international actors in supporting women leaders within this tumultuous context.

This publication is an output of the Women’s Voice and Leadership in Decision-Making project.