Gaza crisis hits women the hardest
As the besieged Gaza sees thousands of their inhabitants massacred by bellicose Israeli forces, basic necessities such as female hygiene products have become scarce in the enclave, according to Middle East Eye, November 16.
It has been widely reported that the country has for a lengthy period of time deprived Palestinians of their food, water, electricity and other needs which is an act that breaches international law.
The regime’s brutal cut off has been a cause for laughter for some Israeli social media users who have posted insensitive videos on TikTok mocking Palestinians for their troubling situation.
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As pharmacies lack essentials, supermarket shelves lay bare and with little access to clean running water for weeks on end, women are running out of options to acquire hygiene products.
Hind Khoudary, a Gaza resident who has been homeless since the beginning of last month, pointed at her own problems and well as health issues that many other women face.
Khoudary said, “My last period was my worst, because I am homeless, I am living out of my backpack, there’s no access to toilets or anything. Any products that you do find now are of bad quality, they can cause irritations and they can be unhealthy to use… it is making me stressed about my next period.” .
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The lack of hygiene supplies has raised serious concerns amongst women’s rights groups as the Gaza crisis hits its female population the hardest.
Another female resident noted, “When the war started, the first thing I thought about, even before food, was to stock up on sanitary pads to last me a few months, because it’s actually a nightmare if you’re on your period,” .
As homes, hospitals, and refugee camps have been struck, over 1.6 million of Gaza’s 2.2 million inhabitants have been displaced as humanitarian organisations worldwide highlight the Israeli war crimes taking place in the densely populated enclave.
New York-based NGO Human Rights Watch spoke of the crisis on their website saying that, “the estimated 50,000 pregnant women and girls in Gaza risk missing ante-natal care and giving birth without electricity or medical supplies.”.
As of November 20, 13,200 Gazans have been killed by Israeli forces since October 7.
Middle East Eye
