DEIR AL-BALAH, Gaza City — The struggle for women in Gaza’s vast tent settlements is intensified by the constant lack of privacy, which affects their daily lives. In these cramped conditions, dressing modestly becomes a challenge as they share close quarters with both family and strangers, making personal dignity hard to maintain. There’s a scarcity of menstrual hygiene products, prompting many women to use makeshift alternatives like torn sheets or old clothing. Basic sanitary facilities are rudimentary—typically comprising just a hole in the ground and makeshift screens of fabric, shared among numerous individuals.

Alaa Hamami, a mother of three, continuously wears her black prayer shawl to cope with the modesty issue brought on by having numerous men in her vicinity. “Our entire existence has become about wearing prayer clothes; they are now the only clothes we have, even when we go out,” she lamented, emphasizing the erosion of her dignity. Initially, she would don the shawl for prayers, but now she keeps it on at all times, even while sleeping, in case she needs to escape from the threat of an Israeli strike during the night.

Since the onset of Israel’s 14-month-long military action in Gaza, over 90% of the area’s 2.3 million Palestinian residents have been displaced from their homes. Hundreds of thousands now find themselves living in overcrowded tent camps, where sanitation issues prevail, and obtaining food and clean water is a daily battle. The onset of winter leads families to wear the same clothes for long periods, as most of their belongings were left behind when they fled.

Each day in the camps is consumed with the search for food, clean water, and firewood, compounded by a prevailing sense of exposure among women. In a traditionally conservative society like Gaza, where most women wear hijabs around non-family males, discussions about women’s health—such as menstruation and contraception—are often taboo. “Before, we had our own roofs. Here, we have nothing,” Hamami noted, her prayer shawl now worn and stained from cooking.

For Wafaa Nasrallah, another displaced mother, even attending to basic needs like menstrual hygiene is a struggle, as she cannot afford pads. She has resorted to using bits of cloth or even diapers, which have also become unaffordable. Her makeshift restroom is little more than a hole surrounded by fabric barricades held up by sticks.

The U.N. has reported that more than 690,000 women and girls in Gaza are in urgent need of menstrual hygiene products, clean water, and toilets. The response from aid groups has been inadequate, with much of the supplies stuck at crossing points into Gaza. The prices of hygiene products have skyrocketed, forcing women to decide between purchasing menstrual supplies and buying food or water. Doaa Hellis, a mother of three living in one of the camps, lamented the high cost, stating, “A packet of pads costs 45 shekels ($12), yet there is hardly five shekels in my tent.”

As a result, some women turn to birth control pills to stop their menstruation altogether, while others have reported irregular cycles, attributed to the immense stress and trauma from continuous displacement. The dire conditions in the camps pose severe health risks for women, warns Amal Seyam, director of the Women’s Affairs Center in Gaza. She mentioned instances of women going more than a month without changing clothes and the inevitable health crises stemming from using makeshift cloth pads. “Consider the feelings of women in Gaza who cannot manage hygiene and menstrual health,” she expressed.

Hellis reflected on a time when womanhood encompassed more joy than hardship. “Women have lost everything; they have no clothing, no bathroom facilities. Their mental health is in shambles,” she remarked. Seyam noted an unsettling trend of girls marrying at younger ages, often before 18, to escape the confining tent life. She stressed that the ongoing conflict will only prolong the humanitarian disaster, with women bearing the brunt of the suffering.

Casualties from the Israeli campaign have reportedly surpassed 45,000, with over half of those killed being women and children, although official counts do not differentiate between combatants and civilians. The military action was provoked by an attack by Hamas on southern Israel, which resulted in around 1,200 Israeli deaths and the abduction of about 250 individuals on October 7, 2023.

As vast sections of Gaza are laid to waste, women are left grappling with their diminished lives within the confines of makeshift shelters. Hamami narrates her experience of living in a tent shared with 13 relatives, managing daily tasks while caring for her three children, including her eight-month-old son, Ahmed. Time for self-care is scarce, as responsibilities such as cooking, laundry, and collecting water consume her days.

Among the few personal belongings she managed to salvage is a powder compact, now broken and unusable, which serves as a poignant reminder of her past life. “Once I had a complete wardrobe and could go out freely. We enjoyed walks, weddings, and shopping sprees,” she recalled. “Now, everything is gone,” she concluded sadly, reflecting on how the conflict has devastated the lives of women who once took pride in themselves.