How Israeli assault on Gaza is impacting Palestinian women's health

When 26-year-old Huda* was asked to vacate her home in Gaza by the Israeli army on October 17, all she could manage to grab was her ID card and a few bare essentials.

That was just a couple of weeks after Israel launched a military blitz on the coastal enclave following the unprecedented cross-border operation by Hamas.

It was only at the Al Maghazi refugee camp – in central Gaza – that the gravity of the situation finally dawned on Huda – not just from the insecurity that gripped her life but also because of the hardships of sharing space with thousands of fellow Palestinians, with very little privacy and no access to items of personal hygiene.

“At that time, I was terrified and didn’t even think of taking the hygiene facilities, sanitary products, or even the pads,” she tells TRT World over the phone.

Huda and her family – two brothers, two sisters and parents – stayed at the Al Maghazi for over 75 days before being displaced once again, this time to Rafah in the south of the besieged enclave.

Huda, a journalist, is one of an estimated one million Palestinian women and girls among 1.9 million people displaced in Gaza due to the Israeli assault, which has continued for four months and resulted in the death of over 27,000 Palestinians and injury to close to 70,000.

Dr Iman Farajallah, a clinical psychologist born and raised in Gaza, highlights the impact of the prolonged Israeli assault on women’s health.

“The ongoing Israeli war has exacerbated women’s plight, denying them access to essential menstrual hygiene products, plunging them into physical discomfort and heightened health risks, particularly for those residing in makeshift shelters like tents and schoolrooms,” Dr Farajallah tells TRT World.

Most of the displaced women are now living in overcrowded makeshift tents, grappling with challenges such as limited access to clean running water and toilets.

With Israel allowing very little aid into the enclave, where hunger stalks millions of people, personal hygiene items have become a luxury. And these women have been forced to resort to desperate, unsanitary measures for their health, risking long-term repercussions on their health.

Disturbing reports highlight instances of women popping period-delaying pills as well as using cloth fabrics or tent strips as pads – an unsettling testament to the extraordinary challenges Palestinian women are enduring during their menstrual cycles.

‘Unique struggle’

Buhara Guney, an Istanbul-based gynaecologist currently volunteering as a health professional at the Rafah border, says the hardship faced by women in Gaza is staggering.

“Amid humanitarian crises like the one unfolding in Gaza, women find themselves in an even more disadvantaged position due to the challenges posed by their physiological cycles,” Guney tells TRT World.

“It's a sobering reality that highlights the unique struggles faced by Palestinian women.”

The United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA) estimates that at its shelters in Rafah, there is only one toilet per 486 people. In these conditions exacerbated by a water shortage, maintaining regular hygiene has become a luxury.

These deteriorating conditions disproportionately affect women’s health, making them more susceptible to infections.

“I got infections due to the shortage of pads, using the available ones for extended periods. I also resorted to using clothes instead of pads,” Huda reveals.

Gynecologist Guney emphasises that the absence of basic hygiene conditions can lead to serious inflammatory issues for women in Gaza.

“Amidst the challenging circumstances of war and the glaring inadequacies in living conditions, Palestinian women not only cope with the physical aspects but also confront the looming threat of severe health problems, reaching critical levels due to high risks of infections,” she adds.

Maternal health

In the midst of the ongoing war, pregnant women and new mothers in Gaza find themselves in an even more vulnerable situation.

According to UN reports, Gaza is struggling to provide basic healthcare to over 52,000 pregnant women. Gaza is also witnessing an average of 180 daily births, with some women undergoing Caesarean sections without anaesthesia.

Nisreen Abu Abada, who is currently living in a tent in Rafah after displacement from the north, shares her recent delivery experience in an interview with TRT World.

“Despite the joy of welcoming my baby, I never envisioned it happening under these difficult circumstances. We were ill-prepared, lacking clothing, milk, and basic necessities. I am uncertain how we’ll cope with the conditions in the tent. Even basic amenities like bathrooms are unavailable, and the overall health conditions are far from ideal.”

Childbirth under such dire circumstances turns into a heartbreaking humanitarian crisis, says Dr Guney.

“Beyond the emotional toll and stress, the physical and medical challenges during childbirth make both mothers and infants more susceptible to various complications, including a rise in maternal and infant mortality rates.”

Tragically, profound pregnancy circumstances have left some without the chance to welcome their babies. Recent reports point to a 300 percent increase in miscarriages attributed to Israel’s military actions in Gaza, severely impacting the health and well-being of Palestinian women.

Even with both mothers and infants surviving, Dr Farajallah underscores the profound psychological impact of these conditions over generations.

“The absence of adequate medical interventions during pregnancy and childbirth only serves to intensify emotional distress and trauma, with long-lasting implications that extend across generations through the transmission of unresolved trauma and stress,” she notes.

As Israel presses on with its scorched-earth military campaign, Palestinian women in Gaza face a health crisis marked by disrupted menstrual cycles, compromised reproductive health, and the looming threat of permanent anatomical distortions after infections, health professionals have cautioned.

“The toll of these circumstances on women’s overall well-being in Gaza is alarming,” Dr Guney adds.

*Name changed on request