Domestic Violence and Humanitarian Crises: Evidence from the 2014 Israeli Military Operation in Gaza.

Abstract

Using qualitative data from 21 group discussions and unique survey data from a representative cross-section of 439 women in the Gaza Strip, we investigate how the Israeli military operation "Protective Edge" in 2014 influenced domestic violence (DV), accounting for risk factors at different levels of the ecological model. We combine our survey data with secondary data on infrastructure destruction across Gaza's neighborhoods, and use propensity score matching techniques to address endogeneity concerns. Our results show that the military operation increased DV, and that this effect manifests itself at relatively low-levels of destruction. Our analysis suggests that the mechanisms are displacement, a lowered ability of married women to contribute to household decision-making, and reduced social support networks.