Arabic version: نساء غزة يواجهن عقبات في الطلاق مع تعثر عمل المحاكم
According to Al Jazeera, Palestinian women in Gaza seeking divorce are confronting delayed court cases and disrupted legal services as war has damaged the enclave’s judicial system. Sohair al-Bordani, 30, who was displaced to Nuseirat camp in central Gaza with her four children, said arguments with her former husband intensified after the war began in 2023.
Al-Bordani began legal proceedings in February 2025 to seek a court-ordered divorce and related financial claims. But delays pushed her to choose khulu, a wife-initiated divorce that can require women to relinquish financial rights. She returned her dowry and gave up support she said she would otherwise have been entitled to, saying she wanted peace and a new life.
Sheikh Hassan al-Jojo, head of Gaza’s Supreme Council of Sharia Judiciary, said religious courts handled more than 8,700 divorce cases from the start of the war in October 2023 through the end of May. Court buildings have been damaged and courts face shortages of judges, staff and supplies. Al-Jojo said each court has one computer, while power cuts and shortages of printed materials continue to affect operations.
Lawyer Mohammad al-Talaa said thousands of hearings had been postponed and many cases suspended. Bombing and destroyed offices have also led to the loss of files and documents, complicating efforts to prove rights, particularly in civil and property cases. The suspension of court enforcement departments has left some women without payments they are entitled to and affected child visitation and custody cases.
Suad al-Naami, 22, also chose khulu after five months of marriage, saying displacement and living in a tent worsened disputes with her former husband. She said surrendering her rights was difficult, but she believed a long legal process would increase her suffering. Delays in separation cases can leave women unable to move forward, while unresolved financial and child-related cases add psychological pressure to families already affected by war.
