Women and Girls in Gaza Are Suffering Through Their Periods Without Water, Medicine, Pads
"After months of Israeli bombardment, the health care system in Gaza is “completely collapsing,” Doctors Without Borders warned in December. Women, girls, and pregnant and menstruating people are among those experiencing the brunt of this: One hospital worker told Bisan that the “scarcity of basic products results in more hospital visits, longer hospital stays, and worsened conditions” due to infection and disease. On December 22, the World Health Organization reported that no “functional” hospitals remained in northern Gaza, and only nine remained in the south to serve an endless influx of injured and sick patients. Other women Bisan spoke to describe the “humiliation,” indignity, and mental health toll of being on their periods and lacking access to basic sanitary products. This is all on top of the physical pain and discomfort of a period under the best circumstances, and the daily, inescapable threats to their lives from Israel’s ongoing military campaign.
As of Tuesday, Al Jazeera reports at least 22,185 people have been killed, at least 57,000 have been injured, and thousands remain missing since Israel launched its offensive on Gaza in October. The Israeli death toll from Hamas attacks on Oct. 7 stands at 1,139 with about 200 people kidnapped. In October, Palestinian Family Planning & Protection Association’s (PFPPA) executive director Ammal Awadallah told Jezebel that life under occupation has always strained the sexual health resources available to women and girls: “Even before the latest escalation of attacks on the Gaza Strip, everything we had was so limited—and of course, this is not the first time the Gaza Strip has been attacked by Israel.”
But over the last few months, the state of sexual and reproductive health in Gaza has become a crisis. At the end of October, Al Jazeera reported that the total lack of privacy, water, and sanitary products amid Israel’s war on Gaza has forced many women and girls to take pills to delay their periods. This is despite unpleasant side effects the pills can cause, such as irregular bleeding and nausea. "
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