ActionAid Palestine Supports Women in H2 to Turn Struggle into Strength and Spread Hope

Hebron- Occupied Palestinian Territory - Almaza walks every day in the narrow alleys passing checkpoints to reach her restaurant in the old city of Hebron(H2) -the Israeli-controlled area of Hebron where surveillance cameras hang over shuttered storefronts. Almaza named her restaurant which is supported by ActionAid Palestine (AAP) “Beit Sity -My grandmother”. Almaza supported makes pastry and sweets to earn her income navigating a daily reality that rarely makes international headlines: the silent violence of isolation, humiliation, and economic deprivation.

The journey to restaurant is difficult. Almaza says: “we had to cross five checkpoints, and every time, our products were searched before we could deliver them. I used to work from home before coming here, and now it takes me about an hour to reach the restaurant, passing through long and difficult routes”.

For Almza as woman living in H2, violence is not always defined by gunfire or clashes. It lives in the forced stillness the inability to move freely, to work, to breathe without fear. It is in the sound of a gate locking at dusk, in the eyes of a mother watching her children walk to school through a checkpoint, in the shame of financial dependency forced by occupation.

Almaza’s life has severely been impacted since the war on Gaza in 2023 said: “Since the beginning of the war, our neighborhood Haret Al-Salaimeh has been under lockdown, with strict curfews and restrictions. It deeply affected us emotionally, as we felt trapped and isolated as our area was completely closed”. 

Invisible Walls, Visible Struggle

Since the 1997 Hebron Protocol divided the city into H1 and H2, around 34,000 Palestinians have lived under full Israeli military control alongside roughly 800 Israeli settlers. The result has been a suffocating system of checkpoints, movement restrictions, and surveillance that has turned daily life into an obstacle course especially for women.

Many women in H2 faces many obstacles in reaching their work every day. Almaza says: “We felt helpless, not knowing what to do. As mothers, we spent our days cooking, cleaning, and caring for our children our lives outside the home had completely disappeared. We gave up so many things, just wishing we could go back to work, but there was no way”.

This forced confinement is its own form of violence. It deepens dependency, erodes self-worth, and isolates women from one another. Over time, it silences them economically, socially, and emotionally. 

Economic Empowerment Supports Women’ Resilience in the Shadows and Turn Struggle into Strength” 

Recognizing the deep link between economic dependency and vulnerability, ActionAid Palestine has been supporting women in H2 to enable them to reclaim both income and agency.  Economic empowerment is not just about money. It’s about dignity, confidence, and the power to make decisions under this context which is one of the most difficult contexts in the world.

The impact of APP’s support is tangible. Women learn to manage small businesses, access local and online markets, and support one another through cooperative networks. In doing so, they are not only earning an income but also rewriting the narrative of passive victimhood imposed upon them. Almaza said: “despite all the challenges, I’m happy. Happy to be here, to be achieving something for myself, not just sitting at home in regret. Thank God, my confidence has grown I can now support my children and my home, and provide them with things they once missed, things I can finally give them today”.

Women who once described feeling “trapped in their homes” now speak of purpose and pride. Earning an income, even modestly, allows them to contribute to family expenses, support their children’s education, and regain self-confidence.

Almaza says “Before, I felt invisible, Now, when I sell my products, I feel I exist that my work matters.”

Economic empowerment also reduces domestic stress, which often increases under occupation due to unemployment and poverty. As women gain stability and social recognition, family relations improve, and community bonds strengthen. This quiet transformation challenges the layers of structural and social violence that have long constrained women’s lives in H2.

Beyond Survival — Toward Dignity

In Hebron’s Old City, where shops once thrived and laughter once echoed through the stone alleys, women like Almaz is building small islands of hope. She represents existence and resilience not through protest or politics, but through the stubborn act of survival, creation, and self-reliance.

ActionAid’s work reminds the world that economic empowerment is a form of protection. It allows women to stand on their own terms and resist the slow erosion of their identity under occupation.

The story of H2 is often told through maps and statistics. But beneath those numbers are women whose stories reveal another dimension of conflict the unseen violence of disempowerment, and the quiet power of reclaiming one’s life.

As Hebron continues to stand divided, the women of H2 are proving that rebuilding begins not with walls, but with hands steady, creative, and unbroken stitching dignity back into the fabric of their lives.

About ActionAid International
ActionAid International is a global federation working with more than 41 million people in over 72 of the world’s poorest countries. We strive to build a just and sustainable world where every person enjoys the right to a life of dignity, freedom, and a future free from poverty and oppression. We work to achieve social justice, gender equality, and the eradication of poverty.

ActionAid Palestine began its work in Palestine in 2007 to strengthen the resilience of the Palestinian people, affirming their right to freedom, justice, and self-determination. ActionAid Palestine implements several programs in collaboration with Palestinian communities, youth groups, and women, seeking to empower women and youth and enhance their active civic and political participation. The organization works to strengthen their understanding of rights, support collective action to address rights violations resulting from the prolonged occupation and improve their leadership capacities to exercise citizenship and hold authorities and other duty-bearers accountable.

For more information, please contact:
Riham Jafari
Communications and Advocacy Officer, ActionAid Palestine
Email: Riham.Jafari@actionaid.org