<p>This study examines the behavioral determinants of household willingness to invest in solar energy within the conflict-affected and energy-insecure context of the West Bank and Gaza Strip, Palestine, by applying an integrated theory of planned behavior and value-belief-norm framework. Environmental awareness is conceptualized as a mediator between social influence, environmental concern, and return expectation toward investment willingness; family income and age are examined as boundary conditions. A structured survey was administered to households across the West Bank and Gaza Strip, resulting in 158 responses from urban and peri-urban communities. Data were analyzed using partial least squares structural equation modeling. Findings indicate that social influence and environmental concerns exert significant direct effects on investment willingness, whereas return expectation shows no direct effect. In conflict-affected, resource-constrained settings, awareness functions as the critical cognitive bridge converting social and financial motivations into actionable intentions, diverging from patterns observed in economically stable emerging markets. Environmental awareness significantly affects willingness and mediates the influence of the explanatory factors. Social influence, environmental concerns, and return expectations exert significant direct effects on environmental awareness. Family income significantly moderates the relationship between environmental awareness and willingness, while age shows no significant effect. Policymakers should prioritize awareness-based, community-driven interventions alongside income-sensitive financial mechanisms, as social influence and environmental concern outweigh financial-return messaging in driving solar investment intention. This study contributes an empirically validated theory of planned behavior and a value-belief-norm framework for renewable energy adoption research in conflict-affected contexts.</p>