ALBAWABA The dire situation faced by women in Gaza has forced them to resort to drastic measures for the sake of their health. Amid relentless Israeli attacks and severe water shortages, women are grappling with the challenge of maintaining basic hygiene, particularly when it comes to hair care.
Nasreen, a 49-year-old woman from Gaza, spoke out about the difficult decision she had to make. "I had to shave my head because I don't have water to wash my hair," she lamented in an interview with the British website Middle East Eye.
Nasreen's plight is not unique; many women in Gaza find themselves in the same predicament, compelled to take drastic measures to protect their health.
Not only are women forced to shave their own heads, but they also have to make the heart-wrenching choice of shaving their children's hair.
Nasreen, a mother of six, recounted how she had to shave her 16-year-old daughter's and 12-year-old son's heads to shield them from scalp diseases, as cases of scalp ringworm among their friends became prevalent.
The scarcity of water in Gaza has reached critical levels, leaving residents with limited access to essential resources.
Nasreen described how they often spend hours waiting in line to use the toilets, only to find themselves without enough water for basic hygiene practices like showering or shampooing. In such circumstances, water becomes a precious commodity, primarily allocated for drinking and cooking
With traditional methods of hair washing rendered nearly impossible due to water shortages, some women have resorted to using seawater as an alternative.
However, the lack of proper hygiene and essential nutrients exacerbates the risk of developing various scalp diseases, including ringworm and bacterial infections.
Zainab Al-Shawaf, a general practitioner from Rafah, emphasized the dire consequences of inadequate hygiene practices, which can lead to lymph node involvement, bacterial growth, and hair loss.
