# Mothers in Gaza use old clothes to help daughters during periods amid sanitary supply shortage

> In Gaza, over 700,000 women and girls face severe sanitary pad shortages due to Israel’s aid blockade. Mother of six, Ghadeer Nassar, often uses old cloth for her teenage daughter, causing health risks and embarrassment…

Published: 2026-09-14 · Desk: Latest · Source: CNN

Women in Gaza are enduring severe shortages of essential hygiene supplies as Israel’s aid blockade continues. Ghadeer Nassar, a mother of six, explained that she often resorts to using old cloth to make makeshift sanitary pads for her teenage daughter because sanitary products are so hard to find. “Sometimes I can buy my daughter sanitary pads, sometimes I can’t. I end up cutting pieces of cloth, washing and disinfecting them,” she said.

More than 700,000 women and girls in Gaza face similar struggles, with many unable to maintain proper hygiene during menstruation. Nassar said the situation has also caused embarrassment for her daughter: “Before the war, no one in the house even knew when she had her period. Now, it’s like a public scandal.”

The United Nations has warned that using such improvised materials could cause serious long-term health problems. Nassar also voiced anger at the soaring cost of sanitary pads, adding, “Doesn’t my daughter deserve them? Isn’t that one of the most basic human rights?”

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