DaysofPal- In the besieged Gaza Strip, the hardship of families is no longer limited to the loss of safety and food, as it now reaches into the smallest details of daily life.
Parents are suffering and struggling to keep their babies sound and alive, where even securing baby diapers has turned into a crippling crisis that burdens parents and puts infants’ health at serious risk.
As Israel’s genocidal war on Gaza, which began on 7 October 2023, drags on, the diaper shortage has intensified, exposing yet another, often silent, facet of the humanitarian catastrophe.
In recent weeks, Gaza’s markets have seen a gradual disappearance of baby diapers amid tight restrictions on goods imports, driving prices to unprecedented levels.
What was once a basic necessity has become out of reach for many families, especially as the economic situation worsens and unemployment soars.
“We search every day for diapers, but in vain. And if we find them, the prices are unbearable,” said 38-year-old Abu Karim Hamdan, the father of an infant.
He explained that he has been forced to use alternatives such as cloth or towels, which caused severe skin irritation for his baby.
That, in turn, compelled him to buy medicine at additional cost, all while living in harsh conditions inside a displacement tent.
“My baby’s crying never stops… ” It’s like we’re living a daily nightmare,” he said with anguish.
Under normal circumstances, a family needs several packs of diapers each month. Now, the price of a single pack exceeds the purchasing power of many households.
With regular aid deliveries largely interrupted, parents are left facing a harsh choice: either pay inflated prices they cannot afford or resort to unsafe and unhygienic alternatives.
“Even the right sizes are not available, and if we find them, the prices are outrageous,” said Umm Luay, a mother of two young children.
She explained that she sometimes has to keep the same diaper on for long periods or rely on cloth, which leaves her children constantly uncomfortable, especially at night.
“How long will Gaza’s children go on paying this price?” she asked bitterly.
Trader Abu al Abed Siyam, a supplier of baby products, said the crisis has sharply worsened in recent weeks as demand has risen and available quantities have dwindled.
He noted that some shipments are reportedly on the way, but their arrival remains uncertain, contingent on whether they are allowed to pass through the crossings under ongoing restrictions.
Pediatrician Dr. Yasmin Labad warned against using improvised, non-specialized materials in place of diapers, stressing that infants’ skin is extremely sensitive.
“Using cloth, nylon, or similar materials can lead to skin inflammation, painful rashes, and in some cases, fungal infections,” she said.
She emphasized that the continuation of such practices poses a real threat to children’s health, especially with the growing difficulty of accessing proper treatment in Gaza’s overwhelmed and undersupplied health system.
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