A Forgotten Woman in a Tent: A Story from the Heart of War

This story is not fiction. It was told by an eyewitness during the ongoing war in Gaza — a war that continues to crush not only buildings, but souls.

She is 35 years old. No one asks about her. Her family has abandoned her long ago, and the man she is married to is 89 — frail, silent, barely aware of her existence. She lives in a refugee tent, one among thousands scattered across Gaza, built in panic, soaked in trauma.

But this tent has not sheltered her. Instead, it became the stage for daily fear and humiliation.

The camp administrator — the man responsible for managing the tents — used his authority not to protect, but to prey. He repeatedly harassed her, threatened to keep her exposed, refusing to allow her tent to be moved unless she submitted to his will.

scream

She tried to scream, but a tent is not a safe space — it muffles your voice. And when no one wants to hear, silence becomes your prison.

One night, after days of degradation and fear, something inside her broke. She took a rope and tried to end it all. A suicide attempt, inside the very tent that was supposed to keep her safe from the war.

She was found just in time. Her life was spared — barely. But her soul was shattered. She was referred to a mental health specialist, shaking, mute, wrapped in layers of invisible trauma. Her body was there, but her spirit was far away, in a place where no one could hurt her again.

This is not an isolated case.

In wartime Gaza, women are not only dodging bombs. They are dodging predators. Exploitation takes many forms — hunger, homelessness, and even humanitarian aid are sometimes weaponized against the vulnerable.

The war doesn’t only kill with missiles. It kills slowly, painfully, by turning every source of help into a tool of fear. By stripping women of their voice. By burying them alive under layers of shame, silence, and abandonment.

It’s not enough to send food and water. Justice must be delivered. Voices must be raised. Protection must be given — not just from above, but on the ground, where power can easily turn into abuse.

Her story is not over. She survived.

But how many others didn’t?

A Forgotten Woman in a Tent: A Story from the Heart of War