LONDON: Pregnant women in Gaza are undergoing caesarean sections without an anesthetic while others are being forced to use tent materials for menstrual hygiene, aid workers have revealed.
Israel’s war on Gaza has displaced nearly 2 million Palestinians since Oct. 7, resulting in the establishment of a tented city spanning almost two square miles in Rafah.
The blockade by Israel has hindered the delivery of essential supplies, including food, medical items, and menstrual hygiene products, to the besieged area.
Speaking to Sky News on Sunday, UNICEF communications specialist, Tess Ingram, said: “Seeing newborn babies suffer while some mothers bleed to death should keep us all awake at night.”
Riham Jafari, an ActionAid charity worker based in Bethlehem, highlighted the dire conditions for women on their menstrual cycle.
She told Sky News: “Imagine having to manage your period with no period products, toilet paper, or soap, and no chance of being able to wash yourself.
“This is the reality for hundreds of thousands of women and girls in Gaza right now.
“Some women cut part of towels to use on their periods — this is not healthy.
“They are using parts of the tents or fibers. They cut off part of it to use as pads and some of them are using their extra clothes as pads,” Jafari added.
Using unclean materials as sanitary products raises the risk of infection and suffering from toxic shock syndrome.
One ActionAid Palestine worker, who wished to remain anonymous, told Sky News: “There was no water available for me to get clean during my period. I had no sanitary pads for my own needs.”
The water crisis in Gaza has worsened, with residents having access to far less than the required 15 liters per person per day.
According to UN estimates, only one out of three water pipelines from Israel to Gaza is operational, leading to a severe shortage of toilets, with one available for every 486 people.
Adara, a mother displaced with her four children, told Sky News that her family “suffer a lot whenever we want to go to the bathroom” and had to “stand in line for a long time.”
Women and girls account for around 70 percent of the 25,000 people killed in Gaza since Oct. 7, according to the Gazan health ministry.
ActionAid has called for a ceasefire to allow more aid to enter the Palestinian territory.
