‘We hate the term resilient’: Surviving puberty during a genocide

Tens of thousands of girls in Gaza have experienced puberty since October 2023. At an already sensitive time, these girls have been left with no access to proper menstrual supplies or education about the transition to adulthood. 12-year-old Sara was sharing a single classroom with more than 40 people when she got her first period. Her family were displaced in the Rimal neighbourhood, Gaza City, where they had found shelter in a repurposed school after fleeing Israeli bombardment. Unprepared for this moment, Sara had no hygiene supplies or kits to ease the surprise of menstruating for the first time. Recalling this time, her mother says: “Severe overcrowding in the classroom turned a natural biological milestone into a source of fear, […]