GAZA CITY, Gaza Strip — Wissam al-Taweel, a 21-year-old woman from Rafah in the southern Gaza Strip, sparked controversy in the coastal enclave after posting a series of videos on Facebook in September explaining how she and her sister Fatima, 20, jumped from the balcony of their house to escape the violence and death threats of their father, as official authorities fall short of providing protection for women suffering from domestic violence.
The videos prompted a support campaign on social media, under the Arabic hashtag that translates into “Save_Wissam_Fatima.”