By Tia Zeinab | Staff Writer
“These pills cannot be more harmful than the missiles, death, and destruction all around us.”
It’s been three months since the Palestinian militant group Hamas launched its defensive attack on Israeli forces, which fueled the Israeli “Defense” Force’s anger, to proceed to annihilate the Gaza strip, under the claim that they’re “defending themselves against Hamas.” Since then, the Palestinian death toll has risen to almost 20,000 deaths, and nearly 1.8 million people have been displaced across the Gaza Strip since October 7th. It is inarguable that the people of Palestine have been suffering for 75 years and three months, and their screams are heard from all over the world. Still, one of the most jarring and concerning issues at hand is the lack of feminine and hygienic products for the women of Palestine. Alongside the lack of feminine products, pregnant women of Gaza fear for their lives and the lives of their unborn children; how are they solving it? Indeed, all the displaced women have at least menstruated three times in these three months, maybe more for exceptional cases. What are they doing to maintain their cycles and to maintain their hygiene? These pregnant women were indeed around their due time when the genocide erupted; what did they do?
It did not take me long to find out their means of sustaining their sexual and reproductive supplies since there were plenty of reports trying to shed light on this dire situation. Palestinian people who menstruate are experiencing a severe lack of menstrual hygiene products, so they have started taking period-delaying pills. Contraceptive pills are very limited to these women who were able to get their hands on them and are sharing them with other menstruating people. These period-delaying pills have adverse side effects such as “irregular vaginal bleeding, nausea, changes to the menstrual cycle, dizziness and mood swings,” according to medical professionals.
Al Jazeera stepped up to multiple women in Gaza to acquire some answers regarding this ongoing issue; one of them is Salma Khaled, a 41-year-old woman who is currently residing in a relative’s home at the central Gazan Deir el-Balah refugee camp after she fled her home in Tel al-Hawa, Gaza City, two weeks ago due to the ongoing war. She said that they have “no choice but to take the risk amid Israel’s relentless bombardment and blockade of Gaza.” Salma claims that her menstrual cycle has suffered because of her ongoing feelings of anxiety, discomfort, and depression. “I am experiencing the most difficult days of my life during this war,” Salma says. “I got my period twice this month so far – which is very irregular for me – and suffered heavy bleeding.”
Meanwhile, maintaining regular hygiene has become difficult, if possible, when living with numerous relatives in a home with limited water. Showering is restricted to once per few days, and bathroom use needs to be rationed. Women typically experience psychological and physical symptoms in the days leading up to and during their periods, such as mood swings and back and lower abdominal pain, according to Gaza City-based psychologist and social worker Nevin Adnan. Adnan says these symptoms can worsen during stressful situations like the ongoing war. Currently, she claimed, due to the lack of privacy, hygiene, and health products available, more women are willing to take period-delaying pills to avoid embarrassment and shame.
According to UN estimates, there are currently 50,000 pregnant women residing in Gaza, and over 180 births occur there every day despite the “decimation” of the country’s healthcare system. Hospitals in Gaza have been at the forefront of the fighting since Israel began its military campaign in response to the Hamas attacks on October 7, which claimed 1,200 lives and resulted in the kidnapping of over 200 civilians, including Israelis. According to Walid Abu Hatab, a medical consultant in obstetrics and gynecology at the Nasser Medical Complex in Khan Younis, access to health centers has become extremely difficult. This is especially true considering the mass internal displacement of half of the 2.3 million people living in the Gaza Strip over the last two weeks.
Suad Asraf, a 29-year-old pregnant mother of three, moved from the Shati refugee camp in Gaza City to a UN school in Khan Younis. She is faced with fear, fatigue, and unfavorable circumstances, such as a scarcity of clean water. Asraf, who is worried about her pregnancy and suffers from exhaustion and nausea from not eating enough and getting enough attention in the busy school environment is unable to get to the UN health center. In these trying times, her health and the health of her unborn child are in doubt.
It now takes longer for expectant mothers to get to the few operating hospitals in the Gaza Strip due to the destruction of the area’s main roads. Mothers’ health is seriously endangered by the fact that a trip that used to take only a few minutes by car can now take hours. Israel has regularly threatened to attack hospitals and demanded that hospital employees and the tens of thousands of Palestinian refugees seeking safety in medical facilities leave. The medical staff has declined, citing the difficulty in relocating their patients as justification. The Palestinian Family Planning and Protection Association reports that in the upcoming months, over 37,000 expectant mothers in Gaza will be compelled to give birth in the absence of electricity and medical supplies, putting their lives at risk and preventing them from accessing life-threatening complications.
To sum up, the prolonged hostilities in the Gaza Strip have had a terrible impact on the Palestinian people, resulting in a high death toll and a sizable, displaced population. Concerns have been raised worldwide over the Israeli Defense Force’s disproportionate use of force in the name of self-defense. The unique obstacles women face in accessing sanitary and feminine products in the more significant humanitarian crisis underscore the critical need for all-encompassing support. Pregnant women’s anxieties also highlight how intricate the humanitarian situation is. Reducing the suffering of the Palestinian people and promoting a more stable future for them requires addressing these pressing issues in addition to more significant initiatives to establish a durable peace in the region.
Sources:
“50,000 Women Pregnant in Gaza amid “Decimation” of Its Health System.” Al Jazeera, www.aljazeera.com/news/2023/12/24/50000-women-pregnant-in-gaza-amid-decimation-of-its-health-system. Accessed 30 Dec. 2023.
Amer, Linah Alsaafin,Ruwaida. “No Privacy, No Water: Gaza Women Use Period-Delaying Pills amid War.” Al Jazeera, 31 Oct. 2023, www.aljazeera.com/news/2023/10/31/no-privacy-no-water-gaza-women-use-period-delaying-pills-amid-war.
Amer, Ruwaida. ““How Will I Give Birth? The Bombs Don’t Stop, and No Human Is Spared.”” Www.aljazeera.com, www.aljazeera.com/news/2023/10/25/how-will-i-give-birth-dangers-of-a-gaza-pregnancy-amid-israeli-bombing. Accessed 26 Oct. 2023.