Acknowledgement
First and foremost, the research team would like to express our heartfelt appreciation for the unwavering dedication of all UNRWA health providers in conducting Gender-based Violence (GBV) screenings and providing continuous support since 2022. Your efforts have been essential in making this research possible.
We extend our gratitude to all GBV focal staff and health providers across the Gaza Strip, the West Bank, Jordan, Lebanon, and Syria for their invaluable contributions in laying the groundwork to support individuals affected by various forms of GBV and for facilitating this research. Special thanks go to Dr. Khalil Hamad, Najwa Eissa, Alaa Murrah, Yasser Awad, the late Dr. Salwa Noqari, and Dr. Lama Sherkawi, who served as GBV focal points, for their continuous assistance in overseeing logistics, providing guidance, and facilitating remote engagement and data collection processes.
We would also like to extend our gratitude to all patients who participated in this research for generously sharing their experiences and providing invaluable feedback on UNRWA’s GBV health response. Our heartfelt thanks go out to all psychosocial counsellors, senior staff nurses, and Heads of Health Centres who played crucial roles in facilitating the data collection process while ensuring the safety and comfort of the patients. The participation of all health providers who took the time to complete the survey in this study is deeply appreciated.
We are also thankful to the UNRWA Health Department for their invaluable insights, feedback, and provision of data throughout the course of this research. Additionally, we express our gratitude to the Relief and Social Services (RSS) Department for their support in providing data for evaluating the GBV referral linkage between the Health and RSS Departments.
In closing, it is important to emphasise that despite the unavailability of data from Gaza due to the ongoing war since October 2023 ,7—with the highest identification rate of GBV cases at UNRWA HCs before the war—has remained at the forefront of our considerations in this study. While direct participation from Gaza was not feasible amidst the continuing war, we extend our deepest appreciation and respect to the UNRWA healthcare providers who continue to demonstrate unwavering dedication to serving those affected by violence.
